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 Gay Ally, Former Episcopal Bishop Dies
by The Associated Press
Posted: March 27, 2008 - 11:00 am ET
(Washington) Ronald H. Haines, the former bishop of
the Episcopal Diocese of Washington who ordained a lesbian priest and presided
over the marriage of Vice President Al Gore's daughter, has died. He was 73.
Haines, who served as the bishop of Washington from 1990
to 2000, died from complications with cancer at his home in Lancaster, Pa., said
Cheryl Daves Wilburn, special assistant to the bishop at the diocese.
Haines was an advocate for the ordination of women priests
and defended gender equality in the church. Less than a year after becoming
bishop, he ordained the Rev. Elizabeth L. Carl, a lesbian, sparking protests.
According to a 1992 article in The Washington Post, one of
the bishop's most vocal critics was his wife, Mary, who was vice president of
the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life. She even favored her
husband's censure, which he narrowly avoided, at a national gathering of
bishops.
Haines served in churches in New York and Rutherfordton,
N.C., and was named deputy to the bishop of the Diocese of Western North
Carolina in 1981.
In 1986, he was elected suffragan bishop of the Washington
diocese, which includes D.C. and four Maryland counties.
In 1997, Haines presided over the wedding of Karenna Gore
and New York physician Andrew Schiff at the Washington National Cathedral.
He retired in 2000 and returned to parish ministry in
Pennsylvania.
©365Gay.com 2008
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