Ralph Webb commented,<\/p>\n
“Bishop Robinson’s allowance of blessing civil unions as a local option\u201d\u201deven though such blessings are not required of priests\u201d\u201dprovides yet another illustration of how the Episcopal Church opposes the traditional definition of marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman.<\/p>\n
“It’s tragic that just within the last year, we have seen increasing evidence of a hardening of this position. Some Episcopal Church parishioners, parishes, parachurch groups, and diocesan bishops opposed state marriage amendments upholding the traditional definition of marriage last fall. And this spring, the denomination’s Executive Council passed a resolution urged against future General Conventions being held in states where the marriage amendments are in effect.<\/p>\n
“And the tragedy is on full display in the bishop’s phrase, ‘Just like in marriages.’ What’s at stake here is the Judeo-Christian understanding that no other relationship\u201d\u201dwhether that of cohabiting heterosexual couples or same-sex partners\u201d\u201din which two people commit to living together can approximate marriage or should receive the church’s blessing. That understanding informs the Episcopal Church’s own Book of Common Prayer.<\/p>\n