A Roman Catholic priest who frequently clashed with Phoenix (Arizona) Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted over the role of gays in the church has left the priesthood. The Rev. Chris Carpenter, a leader in the Phoenix Diocese's ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics, had been on a yearlong leave of absence.
His disagreements with Olmsted date back to 2004 when he and eight other priests signed a letter called the Phoenix Declaration, which affirmed the right of LGBT people to fully participate in the Catholic Church. Olmsted ordered the priests to remove their signatures. Carpenter becomes the seventh signatory to the document to leave the priesthood.
"The enforcement of church doctrine and liturgical practice are taking a step backward to the pre-Vatican II era," Carpenter said in a statement. "From now on, I won't formally identify myself as a priest or as 'Father' or dress as one."
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