Navy delays plans for chaplains to solemnize same-sex marriages
May 11, 2011
Under heavy pressure from Congress, the US Navy has set aside plans to train chaplains to officiate at same-sex weddings.
Rear Admiral Mark Tidd, the chief of naval chaplains, who had announced the training program, has now issued a terse memorandum saying that the program will be "suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review."
The plan to allow same-sex marriages had sparked an outcry from Congress, since the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) stipulates that the US government only recognizes a male-female union as a marriage. Although the Obama administration has announced that it will not defend DOMA against legal challenges, the legislation remains in force. The latest Navy memorandum suggests that officials will hold off on asking chaplains to solemnize same-sex unions until DOMA is overturned.
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Further information:
- Navy Halts Move to Allow Gay Marriages by Chaplains After Complaints From Lawmakers (Fox)
- US Navy preparing chaplains to officiate at same-sex marriages (CWN, 5/10)
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