DETROIT, Mich. (AP) – The Michigan diocese of the Episcopal Church will welcome its first female and first openly lesbian bishop.
An ordination will be held Saturday in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn for the Rev. Bonnie A. Perry. Her elevation to bishop in Michigan comes as some Christian denominations in the U.S. struggle with issues of same-sex marriages and gays or lesbians in church leadership roles. Perry said Friday in Detroit that “anyone that’s on the margin needs to be welcomed.”
The Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris was ordained as the Episcopal Church’s first female bishop in 1989. The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool became its first lesbian bishop in 2010.
