Two male Anglican priests may have married

LONDON, June 16 (UPI) -- The Anglican bishop of London has ordered an investigation into claims that two gay priests have been married in the church, officials said.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Rev. Peter Cowell and the Rev. David Lord exchanged vows and rings in a ceremony last month that was conducted using one of the church's most traditional wedding ceremonies.

The newspaper reported that if carried out, the ceremony broke Church of England guidelines and was conducted in defiance of the Bishop of London, in whose diocese it took place.

Both conservative and liberal wings of the Anglican communion expressed shock at word of the ceremony, the newspaper reported.

The Rev. Henry Orombi, the Archbishop of Uganda, said the ceremony was "blasphemous."

He called on Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to take decisive action if the Anglican Church were not to "disintegrate."

"What really shocks me is that this is happening in the Church of England that first brought the Gospel to us," he said. "Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return to traditional teaching."