Gay couple launch petition to allow baptism of their son
A gay couple in America have launched an online appeal, after the church they belonged to refused to baptise their adopted son.
After Rich McCaffrey and his husband adopted a baby boy, they decided to seek a more accepting church which would allow them to have their son baptised.
After joining Saint Luke’s Episcopal Cathedral in Florida, they felt they had “found a community they loved and felt they belonged.”
They scheduled their son’s baptism with the dean of the Cathedral, and expected it to go ahead as planned “until, at the last minute, the cathedral’s dean cancelled their baby’s baptism because some members of the congregation objected.”
The men have since launched an online petition through the Faithful America website, because they want to “make sure that no priest in your diocese ever again denies the holy sacrament of baptism to a child on the basis of the parents’ sexual orientation.
The petition also states:”The local bishop says he wasn’t involved in this decision and he wants to ‘remedy this very sad situation.’ But his public opposition to same-sex weddings appears to have sent a dangerous message to the priests he oversees — so it’s up to him to make clear that this kind of discrimination is unacceptable.”
The couple originally hoped to achieve 15,000 online signatures, but have so far reached over 23,000. Their current goal is now 25,000 signatures.
To view the petition in full, visit Faithful America’s website.
