On 20 January the Church of England published their proposals to allow the church blessing of same-sex couples, together with draft liturgies for such services. Alas, same-sex marriage is not included. These documents will be considered by General Synod in February. They can be downloaded by clicking the links below:
- Living in Love and Faith: A response from the Bishops of the Church of England about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage
- Prayers of Love and Faith
In response, Inclusive Church and the Equal Campaign have issued a joint statement which can be downloaded by clicking the thumbnail (left). This new statement supersedes the previous one.
We are disappointed that the bishops have not gone further, but we welcome the positive steps towards the fair and just treatment of LGBTQIA+ people and same-sex couples. We will continue to campaign vigorously for full equal marriage in church.
Over the next week we shall be studying and discussing the proposals and will publish our considered comments as soon as possible.