The Church of England will refuse to allow same-sex couples to marry in its churches, according to plans unveiled on Wednesday, in which the centuries-old organisation stated that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Bishops, one of the three parts of the Church’s governing body called the General Synod, came up with the assertions after a six-year survey on sexuality, marriage, and other topics. Next month, the bishops will present the ideas to the General Synod at a meeting.
The larger Anglican Communion, which includes more than 85 million people in more than 165 countries, revolves around the Church of England.
In Nigeria, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, maintains a strong opposition to homosexuality with members of the church who are found to be homosexuals faced with dismissal and ostracism.
The Wednesday statement confirmed a BBC story from the previous night that bishops had declined to endorse a change in teaching to permit priests to marry homosexual couples. “Same-sex couples would still not be able to get married in a Church of England church,” the statement added.
According to the ideas, same-sex couples who get married in a civil ceremony could attend a church service where there would be “prayers of dedication, thanksgiving, or for God’s blessing on the couple.” In 2013, the United Kingdom legalised gay marriage.
Nonetheless, the prayers would be optional for clergy to use and might be combined in ways that “reflect the theological diversity of the Church,” according to the Church of England, meaning that spiritual leaders could choose not to deliver such blessings.
“I am under no illusions that what we are proposing today will appear to go too far for some and not nearly far enough for others, but it is my hope that what we have agreed will be received in a spirit of generosity, seeking the common good,” said Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
According to a separate statement, Church of England bishops will apologise to LGBTQI+ persons later this week for the “rejection, exclusion, and hostility” they have experienced in churches.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) campaigners have been battling for the same rights as heterosexual Christians in the Church of England, which was founded in 1534, for years.
Welby called on the bishops to “abound in love for all” last year in an effort to settle the controversial matter, even as he defended the legitimacy of a 1998 statement that denounced “homosexual activity as incompatible with Scripture.”
