Church apologizes after trainee priests conduct service in gay slang

A Church of England theological college has issued an apology after trainee priests conducted a service in gay slang to commemorate LGBT history month.

The student priests at Westcott House in Cambridge held the service in Polari, an outdated colloquial language used by homosexuals, as an attempt to "queer the liturgy of evening prayer," the BBC reported.

The Rev Canon Chris Chivers, the principal of Westcott House, said that the language used has not been authorized, and it was inconsistent with the doctrine and teachings of the church.

One of the attendees confirmed that the service was led by a trainee priest rather than a licensed minister. While the trainees were given permission to commemorate LGBT history month, the college chaplain had not seen the wording of the service, according to a Church of England source.

The service was based on the Polari Bible, which was compiled in 2003 by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

A passage from the Book of Joel in the Old Testament which reads: "Rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God," was translated into Polari to say: "Rend your thumping chest and not your frocks – and turn unto the Duchess your Gloria: for she is bona and merciful."

The phrase "Glory be to the father, and to the son, and the Holy Spirit," was changed to "Fabeness be to the Auntie, and to the Homie Chavvie, and to the Fantabulosa Fairy."

Chivers described the incident as "hugely regrettable" and said that he has spoken with those involved with the service.

"I will be reviewing and tightening the internal mechanisms of the house to ensure this never happens again," he said.

Polari dates back to the 19th century, and it was used by gay men to communicate with each other back when homosexuality was still considered a crime. The language became part of the mainstream culture in the 1960s when it was used on the BBC radio show "Round the Horne," which starred two Polari speaking characters. It slowly fell out of use when homosexuality was decriminalized in the Sexual Offences Act 1967.

According to student newspaper Varsity, Westcott House is closely linked to the University of Cambridge. The college is not formally a part of the university, but some of its graduates have been given degrees by Cambridge.