Gay priest Mark Oakley moved the world with his sermon on love overcoming prejudice: "Love conquers. Always."
Fifteen minutes that moved not only the faithful in the cathedral to tears, but also thousands of people online. Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark Cathedral in London, delivered a sermon that instantly became a symbol of courage, humanity and hope for LGBTQ+ worshippers around the world.
Oakley, an openly gay priest of the Church of England, was responding to a recent decision by the House of Bishops, which suspended plans to allow blessings for gay couples and extended a ban on same-sex marriage among clergy. "The news made me want to scream," he admitted at the start of his homily.
"Clergy will continue to be banned from civil marriage with a same-sex partner. If they do, they could lose their license, their job," Oakley said. "When you add to that the fact that we are not allowed to marry same-sex couples here in the church and that no bishop has ever been transparently appointed in a civil partnership, it is hard not to conclude that the Church of England is still homophobic and does not believe in the equality of love."
In response, he quoted his colleague, the Dean of Canterbury David Monteith, who wrote that the Church's current policies "compound the shame that LGBTQ people can feel" and contribute to a sense of "invisibility" within institutions that should be about love and acceptance.
Oakley then turned to the Bible - specifically St. Paul's letter to the Romans, which is often cited as evidence that "homosexuality is unnatural." With a sincerity that silenced the entire church, he said, "But this is not me. I didn't choose anything. I discovered who I am, and it wasn't easy. I knew that people beat people like me. That the government says kids shouldn't learn about people like me. That the newspapers named people like me. And that the church excluded us if we were honest."
With tears in his eyes, he then told of his coming out when he confided in his grandmother at 18. "She said, ' Mark, there was only one thing that was bothering me...I was afraid you'd never be able to tell me." Oakley says he understood in that moment that her reaction was one of love - and therefore God's reaction.
"God wants us to share with him who we really are," he continued. "And to know that his love never wavers when we dare to be true."
Oakley challenged his cathedral to continue to welcome and support all people regardless of orientation. "We look forward to the day when we can offer them equality with all others," he said, adding that St. Paul "did not live in the 21st century" and could not know the love between two men or two women who share life, home and concerns. "Where there is love," he concluded, "there is God."
His conclusion - a simple but powerful thank you:
"Thank you, God, for all the love that LGBTQ+ people bring to this world. I will always recognize that, and that is why I love this cathedral."
When the sermon ended, the entire cathedral rose. The applause lasted for long minutes. And people on social media reacted similarly strongly.
"Love wins. Always. I've never been so moved by a sermon," wrote one viewer.
"I cried watching it. You preached the gospel more eloquently than I've ever heard," added another.
A third added, "Thank you, Mark, for words that brought tears to my eyes, but also hope that all will be well with people like you one day."
Mark Oakley's sermon thus became not only an act of faith, but also a call to dare to be yourself - even where it is still unforgivable.
