Reverend Dr. Katherine Meyer, a prominent Presbyterian minister, has resigned following investigations about her involvement in events promoting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. Her resignation marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing tension between progressive and traditionalist factions within the church.
Dr. Meyer, who served as minister emerita of Christ Church, Sandymount, Dublin, since 2009, described stepping down as “one of the most painful decisions of my life.” Speaking to BBC News NI, she reflected on her experiences, saying, “Like any intelligent woman of my generation, I have worked a lifetime in historically patriarchal institutions.”
The PCI’s disciplinary actions against minister Meyer stems from her participation in the 2024 Dublin Pride parade and her involvement in the RTÉ Pride Service – Affirming Queer Worship organised by Amach le Dia, a group promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in religious spaces. A church court ruled that Dr. Meyer’s actions were “unwise and inappropriate,” adding that she had failed to “yield submission in the Lord to the courts of the Church.”
The controversy intensified with complaints about Christ Church’s governance, particularly its inclusion of an elder in a same-sex relationship. In 2018, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) adopted a new policy that meant that anyone in a same-sex relationship could not be a full member of the Church.
The PCI’s Dublin and Munster Presbytery criticised the church council for reinstating the elder despite prior church rulings. Christ Church is a shared congregation between the PCI and the Methodist Church in Ireland, complicating the governance dynamics.
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In a social media post regarding Dr. Meyer’s resignation, Rev. Teagan MacAodhagáin, Vice Chairperson of Amach le Dia, defended her by stating: “Any suggestion that a widely respected and honourable minister like Reverend Dr. Katherine Meyer would face backlash for attending a church service demonstrates the profound and piteous need for Amach le Dia to provide a place for people not accepted within the wider church community.”
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