Church of England Denies Blessings for Same-Sex Unions

The Church of England announced yesterday it will not give Christian blessings to same-sex couples wishing to ‘marry’.

The decision was announced by a group from the House of Bishops led by the Bishop of Norwich, the Right Rev Graham James and is a response to the Civil Partnership Act which gives gay couples similar legal rights to married couples, due to come into effect in Britain December.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said although the new law would be respected, gay civil unions would not be afforded the same sanctity as heterosexual marriage.

Bishop James rejected resolutely equal status for same-sex and heterosexual marriage: "Civil partnerships are not gay marriages. Marriage can only be the sexual union of one man and one woman that is in English law as well as the Church."

The Church was criticised for its decision by a leading Christian gay activist. The Rev Richard Kirker, general secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, accused the Anglican Church of a "disregard for decency".

Rev Kirker also said: "At a time where lesbian and gay people – let alone lesbian and gay Christians – are looking to the church to affirm their families and to help build stability and provide a safe space for them, the church spits in their face."

The Church, however, fears that the Civil Partnerships Act will inadvertently damage the status of marriage: "There are concerns that the introduction of civil partnerships in this form may create fresh anomalies and in practice – even though not in law – erode the unique position which marriage has previously occupied."

The statement released by the House of Bishops yesterday defended its teaching on traditional marriage and sexual intercourse, saying that sexual intercourse was "an expression of faithful intimacy, [which] properly belongs within marriage exclusively."

The statement went on to define marriage as "a creation of ordinance, a gift of God in creation and a means of his grace. Marriage, defined as a faithful, committed, permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman, is central to the stability and health of human society."

In the Church of England’s 'The Book of Common Prayer', marriage is ordained as being "for the procreation of children, and for a remedy against sin and for the mutual society, help, and comfort that the one ought to have of the other."

According to Church guidelines, gay clergy will be allowed an official union within the Church but under the condition that they consult with their bishops and promise to remain celibate.

Homosexual members of the Anglican Church will continue to be accepted, however, with the bishops calling for those entering into civil partnerships to be dealt with "pastorally and sensitively", but continued to emphasise the priority of heterosexual union.

Bishop James said: "For Christians, marriage – that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman – remains the proper context for sexual activity.

"In its approach to civil partnerships the Church will continue to uphold that standard, to affirm the value of committed, sexually abstinent friendships between people of the same sex and to minister ... to those Christians who conscientiously decide to order their lives differently."

The ordination of homosexual bishops is threatening the worldwide Anglican Communion with a permanent division between liberal and conservative wings. The statement urged members of the clergy "to weigh carefully the perceptions and assumptions which would inevitably accompany a decision to register such a relationship."