Gay marriages could be considered as soon as next year by the Church of England

May 19, 2022 by Jill

by James Webster, ITV News:

For same-sex couples, being gay and being a Christian doesn’t always fit together easily, especially when they are making plans for their wedding day. They may be welcomed week-after-week to worship within the Church of England, but it is a welcome that is not extended to hosting their marriage ceremony.

But one vicar, who is part of the team leading a project reviewing the church’s position on same-sex relationships says he believes the church has reached a point where change in some form is now inevitable. It means the church could be closer than ever to allowing gay couples to marry.

Same-sex weddings were made legal in England and Wales in 2014, but those same laws also protected the Church of England’s right to NOT hold such ceremonies without the fear of being taken to court under equality legislation.

Eight years on, the church is pulling together comments from congregations all over the country who have been asked to reflect on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in church.

It is an issue I personally wrestle with. I am gay and starting to think about planning my own wedding and when people ask me what sort of ceremony I would like, I don’t yet have an answer because I know that one option that is not open to me is to have a ceremony in my church.

That’s why I set out to investigate what is a difficult issue for the church in the hope that it would help me understand my own feelings on the subject. I’m not someone who is campaigning for change, but instead I am trying to better understand the passionate views on both sides of the debate.

Read here