Island Methodists are facing more questions regarding homosexuality after their affiliate, the United Church of Canada, called on the Canadian Government to allow same-sex marriages last week.

Local church leaders, however, were reluctant to comment on the issue.

The motion was passed at the national conference of the United Church of Canada after just 45 minutes of debate on August 13. According to Canadian media, it is now up to more than 3,000 congregations across Canada and in Bermuda to decide if they will marry gay couples.

Three Bermudian delegates were present at the conference. They will return to the Island sometime this week.

The United Church of Canada has had a practice of ordaining openly-gay and lesbian ministers since 1988, a practice which contributed to its break with several Bermudian Methodist churches.

According to former Grace Methodist Church Rev. Willard Lightbourne on Friday, after the Canadian decision was made, the eight Methodist churches in Bermuda held a referendum to vote on whether they should remain affiliated with the Canadian church or not. Four Bermudian churches voted to stay, while the other four - the Grace Methodist Church, the Marsden First United Methodist Church, the Somerset Methodist Church and the Cobbs Hill Methodist Church - severed ties with the United Church of Canada.

Of those four, Mr. Lightbourne told The Royal Gazette last week, the Marsden Church had since affiliated itself with the United Methodist Church of America. The other three had not yet made a decision to go anywhere else.

"I would like to see the Methodist Churches of Bermuda come together as one body and sever all ties with the United Church of Canada if they are going to continue the practices of ordaining gays and same-sex marriages," he said, stressing as he was no longer a church leader, this was only his opinion.

Bishop of Bermuda Ewen Ratteray was reluctant to comment on the issue on Monday, having just returned to the Island after vacation.

Other church leaders were also reluctant to comment last week. Ebenezer Church's Rev. Greta Smith said she had been unable to receive official confirmation from the United Church of Canada on the decision due to the massive blackouts affecting North America last week. Without that confirmation and in light of the controversy surrounding the matter, she did not wish to comment on the issue.

She did however agree that the United Church of Canada has a similar relationship with Bermudian Methodist churches as the United Kingdom does with Bermuda. It can offer advice, but the churches here do not have to follow it. "We are trying to follow the teachings of John Wesley and Jesus Christ," she said. "The United Church of Canada allows us to do that."

The United Church of Canada's moderator, the Very Rev. Peter Short, told Canadian media he was confident the decision will not divide the church. "Our congregations don't have to decide this today or tomorrow," he was quoted as saying. "They may take their time and I think they'll be okay."