Gay vicar promises ‘no surrender’ to bigots who tore Pride flags from his church
By Will Stroude
A vicar has vowed to continue flying LGBT and trans pride flags after two men were seen cutting them down from his church in Kilburn, North West London, according to the Kilburn Times.
Father Andrew Foreshew-Cain, vicar of St Mary’s with All Souls in Abbey Road, believes that the vandalism was a “targeted attack,” but has promised to not be deterred.
Speaking to the Kilburn Times, he said: “I decided that they weren’t going to stop us – no, we’re not going to give in to that.
“We have the flags up proudly because it’s a statement of who we are. The flags show that this is a place of safety and everybody is welcome.”
Father Foreshew-Cain became the second priest in the UK to marry a same-sex partner in 2014, although recently around a dozen more came out as being in same-sex marriages in protest at the Church of England’s rules against clergy being in same-sex relationships.
According to reports, he had recently advertised that the church will be providing a safe space got LGBT Christians to gather and pray, which he believes provoked the vandalism, which was caught on CCTV.
The following morning, he wrote on Facebook: “No surrender. To those who cut down our Rainbow and Trans flags from our Church overnight. You cannot silence us and we will not give in to your bullying and threats.”
St James’ Church is one of only two churches in the country to fly LGBT flags throughout the year.
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