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Single people should be valued as much as married couples and people in relationships, according to a new report released by the Church of England on Wednesday that makes recommendations to support a diverse, thriving society.
In the report, “Love Matters,” the archbishop of Canterbury and York said that “single people should be valued in the midst of our society” and said that Jesus was still single.
The report said, “The single Jesus himself should ensure that the Church of England celebrates celibacy,” the report said, reaffirming the traditional understanding that Jesus was never married.
Archbishop of Canterbury and York – Revd. Justin Welby and Rev. Stephen Cottrell – established a commission in March 2021 to examine relationships and families, after realizing that “family life in the 21st century is fluid and diverse.” The commission’s report outlines five priorities for supporting families and households.
The report recommends that the church does not consider singleness “as less than life in a couple relationship, reflecting the evolving attitude of the church, which has long emphasized the importance of heteronormative marriages and voted to allow divorced people to remarry only twenty years ago.
This is the third report in a trilogy, after the church examined housing and social care, and shortly after the church announced that it was considering using gender-neutral language to refer to God and apologize for its past treatment of LGBTQ people, but maintained that it would still not allow same-sex marriage in the church after years of debate.
The Church of England is the original church in the global Anglican Communion, a group of churches that claims tens of millions of members in more than 160 countries.
Among the top five ambitions outlined in the report, there is a recommendation that the church should “respect and celebrate singleness, whether by choice or circumstance, and recognize the full place of single people in the Church and society.”
“We have an amazing opportunity to reimagine a diverse society in which all families and loving relationships are valued and strengthened,” the report said, “encouraging the stability that allows us all to thrive in our various family constellations, including being single.” .”
The archbishop cited several reasons for remaining single, including “sometimes the right partner has not been found, and sometimes separation, divorce or death have led to the loss of a partner.”
The report also acknowledges that the number of single people is increasing, as young people pursue careers and pursue other interests before marriage.
People are increasingly living alone, data shows. Britain is seeing a jump of more than 8 per cent in people living alone from 2011 to 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics. In the United States, about 29 percent of all households in 2022 will be single-person households, according to census data.
The report said that “living alone does not make people lonely or isolated, especially if someone is well supported and connected,” and it was affected by the coronavirus pandemic and called for more “appropriate social housing” to be made available to single people. people who need a place to live after separation, divorce or serving a prison sentence.
The archbishop also asked the church to “value the family in all its diversity” and “strengthen children and young people” as a top priority.
Archbishop Welby and Cottrell, in their foreword, said the “cost of living crisis” is creating a “constant struggle for survival.” The report also included findings about the growing isolation and stigma that LGBTQ people, including children, feel from the church.
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