Local priest rejects gay marriages
A prominent Timaru priest has said he could never marry a gay couple. If he did, he feared he might face excommunication from the church. Sacred Heart Basilica parish priest Father Peter Costello was reacting to the news that Louisa Wall's Marriage Amendment Bill had passed its first reading in Parliament. Opinions have been divided over the consequences for clergy if the bill comes into law. Family First-commissioned expert Ian Bassett said earlier in the week that if passed into law, clergy who refused to marry same-sex couples could be criminalised. But the Human Rights Commission has said churches will still be allowed to refuse to marry anyone, including same-sex couples, without legal ramifications. Father Costello hopes he will be able to refuse gay marriages. "It is never a universal human right to be married," he said. "The [Catholic] church would say that love and friendship exist for everyone, but only the bond between a male and a female is recognised in