Church of England bishops refuse to allow same-sex marriages

The Church of England will refuse to allow same-sex couples to marry in churches in the proposals set out in the century-old institution saying it will stick to the teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.

The proposal was developed by the bishops, who are one of the three parts of the church’s governing body known as the General Synod, after a six-year consultation of the Church of England on sexuality and marriage – among other subjects – and will be submitted to the General Synod. at next month’s meeting.

The Church of England is the center of the wider Anglican communion, which represents more than 85 million people in more than 165 countries.

“Same-sex couples will still not be able to marry in the Church of England,” the statement said, confirming a BBC report last night that the bishops were refusing to support a change in teaching to allow priests to marry gay couples.

In these proposals, same-sex couples can have a service where there will be a “prayer of devotion, thanksgiving or for the blessing of God for the couple” in the church after the civil marriage. Gay marriage was legalized in the UK in 2013.

Still, the prayer will be used voluntarily and can be used in combination “reflecting the theological diversity of the church,” the Church of England said, indicating spiritual leaders could choose not to give the blessing.

“I have no illusions that what is proposed today will seem too far to some and not far enough to others, but my hope is that what has been agreed will be received with a spirit of generosity, seeking the common good,” said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church.

Separately, Church of England bishops will apologize this week to LGBTQ people for the “rejection, exclusion and hostility” they face in the church, according to the statement.

The Church of England, founded in 1534, has been divided for years over how to deal with same-sex marriage, with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists fighting for the same rights as heterosexual Christians.

Seeking to address the controversial issue, Welby last year called on the bishops to have “a lot of love for all,” although he supported the validity of a resolution launched in 1998 that rejected “the practice of homosexuality as incompatible with the Bible.”