Ex-Southwell priest banned from preaching after same sex marriage

Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who preached at Southwell Minster, married long-term partner Laurence Cunnington in April in defiance of a Church of England ban on gay clergy marrying.

The Rt Revd Richard Inwood, Acting Bishop for Southwell and Nottingham, said the House of Bishops’ pastoral guidance on same sex marriage was that getting married to someone of the same sex went against the teaching of the Church of England.

He added: “It said it would not be appropriate conduct for someone in holy orders to enter into a same sex marriage, given the need for clergy to model the Church’s teaching in their lives.

“In view of this I have spoken to Jeremy Pemberton and subsequently written to him to tell him his permission to officiate in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham has been revoked.”

Although Mr Pemberton will not longer be able to work as a priest in the county, he is still employed by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust as a chaplain.

Gay marriage was legalised in the UK in March but the new law was rejected by the Church of England.

Following the private ceremony between Mr Pemberton and his partner in front of family and friends in April, he told a national newspaper: “I love this man and I want to be married to him.”

According to his Facebook page, he started his relationship with Mr Cunnington (51) in February 2008.

The Rt Rev Richard Inwood, said at the time: “The introduction of same-sex marriage in our country is a new reality and has consequences for the life of the Church of England.”

Mr Pemberton declined to comment when contacted.