The Washington National Cathedral, where the nation gathers to mourn tragedies and celebrate new presidents, will soon begin performing same-sex marriages.
Cathedral officials say the church will be among the first Episcopal congregations to implement a new rite of marriage for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members.
As the nation’s most prominent church, the decision carries huge symbolism. The 106-year-old cathedral has long been a spiritual center for the nation, hosting presidential inaugural services and funerals for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
In light of the legality of same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia and now Maryland, Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, decided in December to allow an expansion of the Christian marriage sacrament. The diocese covers the district and four counties in Maryland. The change is allowed under a “local option” granted by the church’s General Convention, church leaders said. Each priest in the diocese can then decide whether to perform same-sex unions.
Gary Hall, the cathedral’s dean, said performing same-sex marriages is an opportunity to break down barriers and build a more inclusive community “that reflects the diversity of God’s world.”
(AP)
美國華盛頓國家大教堂即將開始替同性婚姻證婚。該教堂經常是全國民眾悼念悲劇與慶祝新總統上任的地點。
大教堂執事表示，教堂將會是美國新教聖公會團體中，最先實行為男同志、女同志、雙性戀者與變性者信徒證婚的教堂。
這項由美國最著名教堂所做出的決定，具有極大的象徵意義。這座有一百零六年歷史的大教堂，長久以來是美國精神生活的中心。它見證了總統就職典禮，以及美國前總統隆納‧雷根與傑拉爾德‧福特的喪禮，吸引數十萬訪客觀禮。
根據哥倫比亞特區以及近日馬里蘭州對於同性婚姻的合法化，華盛頓新教聖公會主教牧師瑪麗安‧埃德加‧布德在十二月就同意放寬基督教婚姻宣誓儀式。其主教轄區涵蓋該區，以及馬里蘭州的四個郡。教堂執事表示，根據該教堂在宗教集會上一個「在地抉擇」的共識，才促成這項改變。在該主教教區內的每位牧師，則有權自行決定是否受理同性婚姻。
大教堂的主任牧師蓋瑞‧霍爾說，辦同性婚禮是打破藩籬、建造更具包容性社會的機會，這個社會「反映了上帝世界的多樣性」。
（美聯社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
US President Donald Trump has renewed his ambition to take control of Greenland for national security reasons and questioned whether Denmark has any legal right to the Arctic island. The debate has revived scrutiny of how Greenland became part of Denmark, its current self-rule and path to independence, and Washington’s military footprint. HOW DID DENMARK GET GREENLAND? Greenland was inhabited by Inuit peoples from Asia and North America intermittently from around 2,500 BC. Around 985 AD, Vikings led by Erik the Red settled in southern Greenland, farming and building churches. Around the same time, ancestors of today’s Inuit arrived, living as hunters
Owls have long fascinated people with their distinctive appearance and mysterious habits. These nocturnal birds possess large, round eyes and a flat facial disc. Their feathers come in shades of brown, gray, or white, helping them blend easily into the darkness. The most remarkable trait of owls is that they can turn their heads without damaging blood vessels. Contrary to popular belief, they can only rotate their heads up to 270 degrees, not 360 degrees. Owls have 14 cervical vertebrae, which is twice as many as humans. This special physical structure compensates for their inability to move their eyes within their
A: Bloomberg just released its annual travel guide, titled “25 Best Places to Travel in 2026.” What were the best Asian destinations? B: There were actually six Asian hotspots: Taiwan’s Taipei, Malaysia’s Penang, Kazakhstan’s Almaty, Indonesia’s Rote Island, India’s Tiger Reserves, and Oman. A: With its mix of traditional food and modern cuisine, Taipei has become a rising food capital in Asia. B: As Bloomberg reported, “Taiwan is a place that bubbles up in culinary conversation because of its famed beverage, bubble tea, and its early adoption of modern night markets.” A: And Din Tai Fung has now
AI-generated summaries are shaking up the media world. Tools like Google’s AI Overviews now provide users with direct answers above the search results, resulting in fewer people clicking on news links. For publishers who rely on that traffic to generate advertising revenue, this shift is hitting hard. The fallout is measurable. Many sites have seen a sharp drop in traffic since AI summary features rolled out. An analysis revealed that a news outlet that had once ranked first on Google lost up to 79% of its traffic when its link appeared beneath an AI-generated summary. Statistics also show that
RSS