Church of England approves of blessing same-sex couples, but not marriages

The General Synod of the Church of England approved this Thursday a proposal that would allow its priests to “bless” gay couples or couples who have come together in civil ceremonies, but not have them marry.

“It has been a long road to get to this point,” said Archbishop of Canterbury and Anglican Primate Justin Welby, who acknowledges that the measure will be insufficient for some and excessive for others in this communion.

Synod members also supported “mourning and repentance” for the Church’s failure to accept LGBTQI+ people and “for the damage that LGBTQI+ people have experienced and are experiencing in the churches,” the statement said.

The proposal was accepted by a majority after two days of intense debate at the synod, and after many years of disagreement on the issue in St. Englandwhich since 2014 recognizes that its priests are in civil unions (not marriages) of the same sex if they accept celibacy.

The working group will now develop a set of special prayers that chaplains can volunteer to use to bless couples “in the eyes of God.” homosexual married or civil union, the note says.

A church with “profound differences”

The bishops will also prepare a “new pastoral guide” for the Anglican Church, the majority in the United Kingdom, on sexuality and marriage, he adds.

“For the first time the church England will publicly, unconditionally and joyfully welcome same-sex couples to the church,” Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said in a joint statement.

However, both acknowledge that “the Church continues to be deeply divided on these issues, which are at the core of our human identity.”

Therefore, they emphasize their “obligation to respect the conscience of those for whom this goes too far” and to ensure that they “receive the necessary guarantees to preserve the unity of the Church.”

“We hope that today’s thoughtful and prayerful discussion marks a new beginning for the Church as we look for a way forward by listening to each other and, above all, to God,” they add.

(As reported by EFE)

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