The Anglican Church allows the blessing of same-sex couples

LONDON (AP) — The National Assembly of the Anglican Church on Thursday voted to allow priests to bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, while continuing to ban the same couple from getting married in a church.

The bishops proposed a compromise measure after five years of discussions about the church’s position on sexuality. It was approved by the church’s General Synod, which includes bishops, clergy and laity from across the country, after an eight-hour debate over two days at a meeting in London.

The measure included an apology for the church not accepting LGBT people. But he also supported the doctrine that marriage is between one man and one woman, meaning that priests are still prohibited from marrying same-sex couples.

“I know that what we have proposed as a way forward is not far enough for many, but too far for others,” Bishop of London Sarah Mullally said in a statement. “I pray that what was agreed today will be a step forward for all of us in the Church, including LGBTQI+ people, as we remain committed to walking together.”

Jane Ozanne, a gay rights activist and synod member, said she is “deeply disappointed” that conservatives have stifled church debates about sexuality. Earlier this week, the synod rejected an amendment proposed by Ozann that would have put marriage equality back on the agenda later this year.

“By continuing to tell LGB people that they can’t get married in their church anytime soon or that their pursuit of sexual intimacy is sinful, we are sending a message to the nation that few will understand,” Ozann tweeted. “More importantly, this message will continue to cause great harm to the LGBT community and endanger the lives of young LGBT+ people.”

Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2013, but the church has not changed its teaching on marriage since the law changed.

Opinion polls consistently show that the majority of people in England support same-sex marriage. But the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said there were still “deep divisions” within the church on the issue.

The measure, approved Thursday, supports a proposal by church bishops to allow clergy to bless unions of same-sex couples after they marry or enter into a partnership recognized by civil authorities. But the clergy will not be obliged to perform such blessings if they do not agree with them.

The blessings are expected to begin later this year after the bishops improve their leadership and issue prayers for the clergy.

Last month, Welby said he would not personally bless same-sex couples because his job is to unite the 85 million members of the Anglican Communion around the world. Welby is the spiritual leader of both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Church, of which she is a member.

However, he celebrated Thursday’s decision.

“We have come a long way to get to this point,” Welby said in a statement released jointly with Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York. “For the first time, the Church of England will publicly, unconditionally and joyfully welcome same-sex couples to church.”

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