Presbyterian minister facing sanctions over ‘endorsing a homosexual relationship’

The Rev Katherine Meyer and the Christ Church, Sandymount church council, were found to have justified “approval for that which in scripture God condemns”.

Steven Smyrl was removed as an elder at the Dublin church in October 2019.

But the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) decided to investigate the leadership which allowed Mr Smyrl - who is in a same-sex marriage - to be an elder.

The Dublin and Munster Presbytery found that the “words and actions of both minister and church council demonstrate their persistent deviation from the confessional standards of the Presbyterian Church” the BBC reported.

Steve Smyrl married his partner of 20 years in 2018. Christ Church, Sandymount, is a shared church run by PCI and the Methodist Church in Ireland, but Dr Meyer is a Presbyterian minister.

The Dublin and Munster Presbytery found that after the denomination sacked him as an elder, Mr Smyrl had been co-opted to the church council. So it instructed the church council to reverse that decision, and said that if Dr Meyer did not accept their findings, the presbytery would “initiate disciplinary proceedings” against her. An appeal by her has been rejected and she has been directed that she and the council should accept the findings by 20 December or face disciplinary proceedings.

PCI said it was “highly disappointing” that the documents on an internal church matter had been leaked. When contacted by BBC News NI, Mr Smyrl said the charges were “aimed only at publicly diminishing the lives of gay Presbyterians”.

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