Washington (AP) - The Washington National Cathedral, where the nation gathers to mourn tragedies and celebrate new presidents, will soon be the site of same-sex marriages.
Cathedral officials tell The Associated Press that the church will be among the first Episcopal congregations to implement a new rite of marriage. The church will announce its new policy Wednesday.
The 106-year-old cathedral has long been a spiritual center for the nation, hosting funerals for Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
The Very Rev. Gary Hall, the cathedral's dean, says the church is taking "the next step for marriage equality." He says including gays and lesbians is "being faithful to the kind of community that Jesus would have us be."
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.)
