US President signs Respect for Marriage Act
THE former Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, has welcomed the news that the US President, Joe Biden, has signed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday. The new law prohibits US states’ denying the validity of out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, or ethnicity. It replaces the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 which formally defined marriage as between a man and a woman. During an elaborate signing ceremony in the White House grounds, President Biden said: “The road to this moment has been long, but those who believe in equality and justice, you never gave up.” Responding on Twitter, Bishop Bayes said: “This is remarkably good news, and evidence that even in a deeply divided society, the rights of people across the world to love and marry each other are increasingly honoured and respected.”
Peruvian bishops: ‘Violence is not the answer’
THE Roman Catholic Bishops of Peru have said that “violence is not the solution” to political uncertainty in the country, as anti-government protests escalated this week, resulting in seven deaths, Vatican News reports. On Monday, supporters of the former President Pedro Castillo blocked roads and stormed the international airport in Arequipa in protest at his impeachment and arrest. His successor and former deputy, Dina Boluarte, proposed bringing the general election forward by two years to April 2024 in response. In a statement, the Bishops appealed to the Peruvian National Police to “act within the framework of the law, safeguarding the integrity of the people”, and said that the country could not “afford the luxury of misgovernment”. The statement concludes: “Violence is not the solution to the crisis or to the differences. No more violence, no more deaths. Peru must be our priority!”
Florida dismisses objections to second election
THE Standing Committee of the diocese of Florida has dismissed objections to the second election of the Revd Charlie Holt as Bishop of the diocese (News, 25 November), after the first was voided over procedural concerns (News, 26 August). Objectors have alleged that the diocese posted a list of delegates present at the election which included the name of at least one cleric who had not registered and did not attend. Responding in a letter on Tuesday, the committee writes that, while the list contained “administrative errors”, these “had no impact on the count of present clergy conducted by the independent auditors, nor any impact on the integrity of the quorum or vote”. Last week, Fr Holt said that he remained committed to the diocese, despite the “humiliation” of the second formal challenge to his election (News, 9 December).