LONDON (Reuters)Jan,18 – The Church of England opposes allowing same-sex couples to marry in churches.
The proposal is drawn up and presented to the General Synod by the bishops who form one of the three branches of the Church’s governing body known as the General Synod, after six years of the Church of England’s consultations on sex and marriage.
The Church of England is at the heart of the wider Anglican communion, representing her more than 85 million people in over 165 countries.
“Same-sex couples cannot yet marry in the Church of England,” the statement said, referring to the BBC’s overnight report that the bishop had refused to support a change in dogma that would allow priests to marry homosexual couples. It was confirmed.
According to the proposal, same-sex couples after civil marriage may have church services where “prayers of devotion, gratitude, or God’s blessing to the couple” are performed. Same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK in 2013.
Still, prayers to clergy are optional and can be used in combinations that “reflect the church’s theological diversity,” the Church of England said.
“There is no illusion that what we are proposing today may seem too much to some and not enough to others, but what we have agreed will serve the common good. I hope it will be received with the generosity of a seeking spirit.” Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Separately, the Anglican bishop will apologize later this week for the “rejection, marginalization and hostility” LGBTQI+ people have faced in his church, the statement said.
The Church of England, founded in 1534, has been at odds for years over its treatment of same-sex marriage. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists fight for the same rights as heterosexual Christians. To address the controversial issue, Welby called on bishops last year to be “full of love for all” but “rejected homosexual acts as contradicting the Bible.” It upheld the validity of the 1998 resolution.
