The Church of England (CoE) is taking steps to draft new pastoral guidance and materials to allow for the blessing of same-sex couples by priests. During a four-hour debate on July 8, the
General Synod, the church's governing body, listened to the opinions of its members regarding proposals to enable same-sex couples to receive prayer services in church following a civil marriage or civil partnership.
Bishop of London Sarah Mullally and Bishop of Truro Philip Mounstephen, co-chairs of the steering group overseeing the implementation of changes after a significant vote in February, expressed gratitude for the thoughtful contributions made during the debate. They announced that the feedback received would be taken into account during the concentrated drafting work that will commence, and the reconvening of the Synod is expected in November.
Since the February debate, where proposals for same-sex marriage blessings were "welcomed," a draft set of texts known as "Prayers of Love and Faith" has been refined, and new pastoral guidance has been developed for the CoE, as reported on the church's website. Out of the 226 responses received from the Synod regarding blessings, 148 were generally positive, while 78 were classified as negative.
Some of the main critical comments included concerns that the prayers resembled marriage too closely (60 responses), that they did not go far enough (44 responses), and that more pastoral guidance would be needed for their implementation (42 responses).
While the CoE currently does not permit same-sex marriages within its churches, in January, it reinforced its ban on same-sex marriages but proposed allowing queer couples to have prayer services after a civil marriage or partnership. The church also offered apologies to LGBTQ+ individuals for the rejection and hostility they have faced.
In February, all three houses of the Synod—bishops, clergy, and House of Laity—voted in favor of blessings for same-sex couples for the first time in CoE's history. The Synod's meeting was protested by LGBTQ+ Christians who stood outside with placards denouncing what they considered to be inadequate progress for queer people of faith.
On July 6, Labour MP Ben Bradshaw published a draft bill that would authorize the CoE to conduct same-sex marriages under certain circumstances. Bradshaw assured opponents of the bill that no one would be compelled to conduct or attend a same-sex wedding. He explained that he released the draft bill due to concerns about delays in finalizing same-sex blessings and new rules for gay clergy within the Church of England, expressing hope that Parliament might consider it in the next session if the delays persist. Photo by Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia commons.