A young Australian couple have had wedding ceremony cancelled only two months before their big day because their minister saw the bride’s support for marriage equality on Facebook. That was despite the fact some of their wedding party was gay, which the minister knew about.

Presbyterian minister Steven North was to preside over the wedding at Ebenezer St John’s church in the country Victorian town of Ballarat.

But those plans changed when the 26-year-old bride declared her support for marriage equality. She posted about the issue on Facebook after the Australian Government announced a postal survey on the issue.

‘I know it’s something not everyone will agree on and that’s fine but this is what I stand for and frankly it doesn’t effect [sic] my relationship with [my partner] one bit,’ she wrote.

After her Facebook post the couple were called to the minister’s office for a meeting, according to reports in Fairfax Media.

North gave the couple a letter and warned the Facebook post would have ‘practical consequences’ for their wedding.

‘After the pre-marital counselling that you attended and the sermons delivered at Ebenezer on this subject, you must surely appreciate that your commitment to same-sex marriage opposes the teaching of Christ Jesus and the scriptural position practiced by the Presbyterian Church of Australia and by me,’ he wrote.

‘By continuing to officiate it would appear either that I support your views on same-sex marriage or that I am uncaring about this matter. As you know, neither statement is correct.

‘Also, if the wedding proceeded in the Ebenezer St John’s church buildings, the same inferences could be drawn about the Presbyterian denomination. Such inferences would be wrong.’

No more church for you

The unnamed couple were able to find an alternative venue for their November wedding. But they also had some choice words for North.

They wrote to the minister saying he had upset their families and caused great distress. They vowed never to return to his church.

‘We feel this decision is absolutely disgraceful and is a disgrace to you and all the church, especially when we have been loyal and valued members of this congregation for 10 years,’ they wrote.

‘You were made aware from the beginning of our proceedings that we had gay friends and also that people in our wedding party were gay. How could you assume that we would abandon them or degrade them with regards to same-sex marriage?

‘We understand we did agree with the teachings of the church in our marriage counselling but just because we agree with that for our own lives, doesn’t mean that we have to push those beliefs onto others.’

An rare event

The journalist who broke the story said he didn’t think this was the sort of thing that happens oftern.

‘It seems rare. Other senior people in the church I spoke with hadn’t encountered this exact situation before, but they all said the minister was within his rights, because it’s ultimately a decision for individual ministers,’ Michael Koziol told Gay Star News.

‘Unfortunately the minister involved didn’t call me back.

Koziol said although the young couple were really upset by what happened, they were doing better now.

‘I thought it (the minister’s letter) sounded pretty cruel and unusual and indeed the couple’s letter to the minister made it clear they were really hurt by this,’ he said.

‘But they are doing better now – they have found another venue on the same day and are currently re-sending invites to friends and family.’