The Church of England, with about 90 million faithful, proposes to bless the union or civil marriage of same-sex couples but, after five years of consultations, decided not to change their rules to allow their priests to marry themhe announced on Wednesday.
“Same-sex couples would still not be able to marry in a Church of England church”, indicates the proposal made public on Wednesday, which _nevertheless_ will be studied and debated in a general synod to be held in February in London.
Instead, gay couples could hold a ceremony with “prayers and God’s blessing in a church after a civil marriage or civil union.”
Same-sex couples have been able to enter into civil marriage since 2013 in England and Waleswhere civil unions already existed since 2005.
Under the proposal, it would not change “the formal teaching of the Church of England, as set forth in the canons and liturgy: that holy matrimony is between a man and a woman for life”.
“I am under no illusions that what we are proposing today seems to go too far for some and not far enough for others.”, recognized the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, one of the two spiritual leaders of the Anglican Church, details the agency Afp.
And he expressed his hope that “what we have agreed upon will be received with a spirit of generosity and search for the common good.”
In addition, the bishops of the Church of England will apologize this week to LGBT+ people for the “rejection, exclusion and hostility” they have experienced in churches and the “impact this has had on their lives,” he reported in a statement.
Apart from their apology, the Anglican bishops will urge all congregations to welcome same-sex couples.”unreservedly and joyfully”.
His apology letter will also “honestly address his continuing disagreement about the possibility of changing the Church’s teaching on marriage itself.”
Civil same-sex marriage is legal in many parts of the world, such as Ecuador. However, few Christian churches have allowed the blessing of these unions.
Where is same-sex marriage still criminalized?
Bishops of the Catholic Church of Ecuador rejected equal marriage
For example, in 2021 the Catholic Church indicated that it did not have the power to impart blessings to same-sex unions, therefore, they cannot “considered lawful”. This pronouncement came after various parishes and ministers of the Catholic Church in countries such as the United States and Germany gave their blessing to this type of union.
But on the other hand, the Austrian branch of the Old Catholic Church _a Christian denomination separated from Rome 150 years ago_, announced in 2022 that it would allow same-sex couples to also marry in a religious ceremony and receive “God’s blessing.” (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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