Church of England votes to allow priests to bless gay couples

The governing body of the Anglican Church of England voted in favor on Thursday that priests bless gay couples, but upheld a ban on same-sex marriages.

The General Synod of the Church Of England, Composed of hundreds of elected members and meeting two to three times a year, it supported the proposal by a wide margin, after eight hours of debate over two days.

A total of 250 bishops, clergy and laity supported the reforms, while 181 opposed and 10 abstained, in a vote held in central London.

The proposals, announced last month after nearly six years of internal debate, they will not change the rules that prohibit Anglican priests from officiating same-sex weddings.

Synod members supported an amendment upholding that ban, but voted in favor of a proposal allowing the blessing of marriages or civil unions.

They also recognized “the failure of the Church to welcome” LGTBQ (lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual and ‘queer’) people.

Last month, the bishops had already apologized for the “hostile and homophobic attitude” which members of that group may have faced in some parishes.

However, the initiative has generated divisions between the more progressive sector of the Anglican church, which considers that it is not going far enough, and critics of the amendment, who argue that the changes only create more disagreements.

“A new beginning”

The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, welcomed the changes supported by the Church, although she acknowledged the divisions with the Anglican church in the United Kingdom and beyond.

“I recognize that there will be [gente] very grateful for this and that it will have hurt others,” she declared, vowing to “be aware of the deep divisions” this will cause.

“These divisions over these issues go to the depths of our human identity,” Mullally said.

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“The archbishops and I hope that today’s thoughtful and devoted discussion marks a new beginning for the Church, as we want to move forward, listening to one another,” he added.

The debate came after years of mounting political pressure on the Anglican church to reform its approach to same-sex marriage, which was legalized in England and Wales in 2013.

The Anglican Church, dominant in the United Kingdom under the aegis of the Church of England, of which King Carlos III is Supreme Governorhas 85 million believers around the world and is present in many countries, including some in sub-Saharan Africa where homosexuality is still considered a crime.

Pope Francis: “Being homosexual is not a crime, but it is a sin”

Within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis caused controversy by taking a relatively liberal stance on homosexuality, claiming that those who criminalize it are “wrong.”

But it does not depart from Catholic doctrine on marriage, defined as the union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation, and in 2021 the Vatican reaffirmed its view that homosexuality is “a sin.” (YO)