The Episcopal church lost one of its own Sunday as Walter C. Righter, a retired, gay-friendly bishop for the church passed at the age of 87. The announcement was confirmed Tuesday by Rich Creehan, spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Righter was ordained nearly 60 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Righter was well-known and respected for his viewpoints on homosexuality. After being accused of heresy over ordaining a non-celibate gay man as deacon of the church in 1990, he was absolved of all charges six years later.
Alongside outspoken gay supporter Bishop John Spong of Newark, N.J., Righter supported the LGBT community with open arms. Church conservatives, on the other hand, focused their disapproval on Righter for ordaining the gay deacon into the diocese. Later, Righter was tried in 1996 by a panel of bishops who ultimately dismissed charges of heresy pending against him by a vote 7 to 1.
“The Episcopal Church can give thanks for the life of a faithful and prophetic servant…. His ministry will be remembered for his pastoral heart and his steadfast willingness to help the church move beyond old prejudices into new possibilities,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
The official position of the Episcopal church is to accept gays and lesbians into their religious community, although even today conservatives still “struggle with issues involving the full inclusion of homosexuals” according to the Los Angeles Times.
In 1997, the Episcopal church issued an apology to the LGBT community for “years of rejection and maltreatment by the church.”
