The Anglican Church in New Zealand has passed a resolution to allow individual bishops the choice to bless couples in same-sex relationships.
According to Anglican News, the resolution known as "Motion 29" would not change the church's teaching that marriage is defined as between a man and a woman. But it would allow individual bishops to conduct "a non-formulary service" for the blessing of same-sex relationships.
The motion also recommended changes in the canon so that any clergy who would either refuse or agree to bless same-sex relationships would not face disciplinary action.
Jay Behan, the Vicar of St. Stephen's Shirley in Christchurch, voiced his opposition to the resolution, saying he could not "live with it."
"This issue has never been for conservatives, about bigotry, or about exclusion, or about hatred. It's a difference of opinion over how you love," the vicar said.
The Synod of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia passed the resolution last week as part of efforts to accept the recommendations made by the "Way Forward" group at the 2016 Synod.
The proposal, which recommended new rites of blessing as "additional formularies," was voted to lie on the table until the 2018 Synod.
The group that was formed after the 2016 meeting has been asked to come up with a solution that would allow parishioners with opposing views about same-sex relationships to stay together in the Church.
Anglican News reported that the resolution will not be applied to the Diocese of Polynesia. A separate motion reportedly noted that the islands covered by the diocese - Samoa, Tonga and Fiji - do not recognize same-sex unions. It further stressed that the members of the Polynesia diocesan synod have already shown in a debate that they were not in favor of blessing same-sex relationships.
The resolution noted that the Diocese of Polynesia has not become an "obstacle in the journey of Tikanga Maori and Tikanga Pakeha [New Zealanders of European descent] towards the blessing of same gender relations in Aotearoa New Zealand" despite its opposition.
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, said that he was pleased that the resolution did not change the Church's teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.
"There has been a long, prayerful process in the province in reaching this point with deeply-held convictions on both sides of the debate. I hope and believe that this resolution recognised that difference without division is possible." Idowu-Fearon said, according to Anglican News.
