Tutu’s daughter barred from funeral role over gay marriage

LONDON (AP) — The BBC is reporting that the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been barred from officiating at a funeral in England because she is married to a woman. Mpho Tutu van Furth, who is an ordained Episcopal priest in the U.S., had been asked to oversee the funeral of her godfather, Martin Kenyon. The Anglican Diocese of Hereford told the broadcaster that “advice was given in line with the House of Bishops current guidance on same-sex marriage.” Tutu van Furth said the decision “seemed really churlish and hurtful.” The Church of England allows its clergy to be in same-sex unions only if they are celibate, whereas the U.S. Episcopal Church permits clergy to preside over, and enter into, same-sex marriages.