Swedish PM tries forcing priests to celebrate gay marriage

The Swedish Prime Minister says he and his party think all Swedish Church priests should celebrate same-sex marriages. They should have to celebrate these marriages regardless of their personal views, he says.

Stefan Lofven says as they are members of Sweden’s State church which agreed in a recent Synod that it would support same sex marriage, all priests should do the same.

If they don’t want to do this they should leave the Church, he says.

Lofven also says only priests who agree with same-sex marriage should be ordained.

Although the Synod did agree to performing same-sex marriage, it does not require individual priests to carry out the weddings if they don’t want to.

The church currently allows priests to choose to refuse to perform weddings, baptisms, and funerals.

Lofven likens the priest-and-gay-marriage situation with that of Swedish midwives who refuse to perform abortions.

“If you work as a midwife must be able to perform abortions, otherwise you have to do something else. It is the same for priests who do not want to perform same-sex marriages,” he says.

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