It turns out it's no accident that Southern California's Episcopal Church has been at the forefront of challenging not only the Bush Administration but three rogue parishes that defected rather than accept gays (and tried to take their diocese-purchased land with them).
Bruno was elected a bishop in 1999 and formally became head of the diocese three years later. As bishop, he blessed the same-sex union of one of his priests and was an advocate in the wider church of the full inclusion of gays.
He supported the election in 2003 of the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly cohabiting gay priest, as bishop of the New Hampshire Diocese. "Some of the greatest priests and bishops I've known in my life have been gay," Bruno said. "There are other gay bishops in the Episcopal and Anglican church. The only difference with Gene Robinson is that he told the truth."
Nobody who worked side by side with Bruno during the early years of the AIDS epidemic seems very surprised at either his candor or courage:
When one of his young parishioners was in the throes of the disease, Bruno expressed frustration at being unable to help. The man told him he would be satisfied if Bruno just hugged him, since no one wanted to come into physical contact with an AIDS patient. So, once a week, the man would go to Bruno's office and the priest would hold him and rock him in a rocking chair.
Jack Plimpton, a retired Los Angeles Unified School District principal who is the diocese's director of AIDS ministries, said he saw Bruno rocking another young man in his arms as the man died. Adds Plimpton: "He's one of the most compassionate people I know."
And what better day than the holiday created to ward off evil spirits than to celebrate that the world's largest predominantly gay mega-church has joined the United Church of Christ -- another denomination that has gone out of its way to welcome LGBT people.
Remember that when you're off worshiping Satan tonight.
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