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| Frank Schaefer |
A Pennsylvania minister convicted under United Methodist church law of performing his son's same-sex wedding ceremony could learn on Tuesday if he will be defrocked.
A jury of his pastoral peers convicted the Rev Frank Schaefer on Monday of breaking his vows by officiating at the 2007 ceremony in Massachusetts after a trial that has rekindled debate over the denomination's policies on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The jury reconvenes on Tuesday morning for the penalty phase, at which both sides will present witnesses. Schaefer could face punishment ranging from a reprimand to a suspension to losing his minister's credentials.
Schaefer testified at his trial that he tried to follow God's command to minister to all, even if he disobeyed the Methodist Book of Discipline.
Schaefer said he could have avoided the trial by agreeing to avoid any more same-sex ceremonies. But he declined, noting that three of his four children are gay. » | Associated Press in Pennsylvania | Tuesday, November 19, 2013
