LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 12 (UPI) -- Leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Minnesota cast the deciding vote this week on a measure clearing the way for the ordination of homosexual ministers.
The vote made the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area the 87th presbytery of the U.S. church to approve the constitutional amendment.
The vote was the fourth attempt at overturning the ban on homosexual ministers within the Kentucky-based church.
"I didn't actually expect to see this for many more years," said the Rev. Ann Deibert, a co-pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, which supported the change.
The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal said conservative elements of the church said the amendment puts evangelical Presbyterians in the dilemma of "compromising their core identities under the same denominational canopy."
The newspaper said the amendment specifically rewrote the requirement that members of the clergy be either married or celibate. The new language says ordaining ministers will require an examination of "each candidate's calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office."
