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| Diocese of London |
A UK member of the LSP research team managed to take some time off from Kandahar to send in this curious tale, from London's Evening Standard. Here's a quote:
"The Rev David Gilmore, rector of St Anne's Anglican Church in Soho, was removed from office a week before Christmas after church authorities received complaints.
Mr Gilmore, 40, who is gay, agreed to let two members of the Armed Forces stay at the rectory after a servicemen's gay rights conference in December 2009. The 30-year-old RAF member and a sailor aged 20, referred to as A and B, claimed Mr Gilmore plied them with wine and engaged in 'lurid' conversations, including details of his sexual conquests. They told the panel he made it clear they 'were not the first people he had tried to sexually lure, that he had never had a sailor before but soldiers were fun, and that he offered B to come and sleep with him in his bed'".
But that wasn't the problem. No. It was Gilmore visiting the 'guestroom' the next morning without any clothes on. That did it for the mysterious 'A and B' who went to 'church authorities' in the diocese of London.
You just couldn't make this stuff up, except perhaps, sadly, you could.
He'd be better-off in the RC church, surely, given their record!
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you LSP.
ReplyDeleteAs for the story...There's always a bad apple in the bunch. Unfortunately, we only hear the stories of the rotten apples and rarely about the good ones.
People are people. I personally feel that if this is true or false is not up to the general public to decide. Just my thoughts, or lack of them, on this one LSP.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Greg.
ReplyDeleteCL - couldn't agree with you more! All's well here, on a diocesan retreat - peaceful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Darlin - people are certainly people. With that in mind I tend to gravitate towards the forgiveness side of the line myself. Still, I'd counsel against using S. Anne's Soho as a role model...
ReplyDeleteThe image it sums up in one's mind is quite amazing...to put it mildly.
ReplyDeleteWhat's hilarious here is that the army guys were outraged by a nude vicar!!
Not sure if the Church can really stagger on much past that really
I know Lukeya - it does cast a pall of doubt on the viability of the, er, exercise. Now, if Rev. Gilmore had had a 'civil contract' with either A or B, would there have been a problem?
ReplyDeleteKyrie.
I know Lukeya - it does cast a pall of doubt on the viability of the, er, exercise. Now, if Rev. Gilmore had had a 'civil contract' with either A or B, would there have been a problem?
ReplyDeleteKyrie.
GREG - You are quite mistaken; if he'd been in OUR Church, the fellow would not have appeared naked in their guest room.
ReplyDeleteHe's have at least worn fishnet hose and possibly a set of pasties. All in good taste, of course.