Church of England bishops refuse to back gay marriage

Church of England bishops person refused to backmost a alteration successful teaching to let priests to wed same-sex couples, sources person told BBC News.

The Church of England's bishops met connected Tuesday to finalise their recommendations aft 5 years of consultation and statement connected the Church's presumption connected sexuality.

Their connection volition beryllium debated astatine the Church's equivalent of a parliament - the General Synod - adjacent month.

BBC News spoke to respective bishops contiguous astatine the gathering who said the Church's teaching that Holy Matrimony is lone betwixt 1 antheral and 1 pistillate would not alteration and would not beryllium enactment to a vote.

It comes aft years of statement implicit the issue.

Same-sex matrimony has been ineligible successful England and Wales since 2013. But erstwhile the instrumentality changed, the Church did not alteration its teaching.

In 2017, the Church of England began an extended consultation play called 'Living successful Love and Faith'.

In November past year, the Bishop of Oxford became the astir elder Church of England bishop to publically backmost a change successful the Church's teaching. Although a fistful of others supported him, they remained successful the minority.

The refusal to suggest a ballot connected allowing same-sex matrimony is apt to choler campaigners for alteration wrong the Church.

Some person already told BBC News they volition inquire the synod to onslaught retired the bishops' proposals adjacent month.

The bishops' determination puts the Church of England astatine likelihood with its Anglican equivalent successful Scotland, The Scottish Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which some let same-sex weddings.

The Anglican Church successful Wales has provided an authorised work of blessing for cheery couples but does not let same-sex weddings successful church.

English bishops volition urge that immoderate "prayers for God's blessing" for cheery couples successful civilian marriages beryllium adopted, the BBC expects.

A arguable religion papers from 1991 that says clergy successful same-sex relationships indispensable stay celibate volition beryllium scrapped. And the Church volition besides contented an apology for the mode it has excluded LGBT+ people, BBC News was told by respective bishops.

One wide bishop contiguous astatine the gathering said determination had been "substantial progress".

"It's evolutionary," they said. "It's not the extremity of the road."

A blimpish bishop said: "We're being honorable astir the information we're not of 1 caput successful these issues. But we're not going to springiness up walking together."

Charlie Bell, 33, and his spouse Piotr Baczyk, 27, unrecorded successful southbound eastbound London, wherever Charlie is simply a priest. They person been waiting to wed until the religion allows cheery weddings.

He said they felt a "deep disappointment" that the bishops weren't proposing a ballot connected same-sex marriages.

"It leaves same-sex couples successful a spot of a limbo and besides arsenic second-class citizens," helium told BBC News.

"We're inactive saying to cheery couples that their relationships are little than relationships betwixt radical of other sexes."

However, helium said they would proceed to run for the Church to alteration its teaching connected marrying cheery couples.

He said: "This isn't over. If the bishops deliberation this volition resoluteness the existent concern they are precise overmuch mistaken."

A Church of England spokesperson declined to remark connected the specifics of the bishops' recommendations but said: "Bishops met contiguous and continued a last reappraisal of a Living successful Love and Faith insubstantial that volition beryllium considered by synod.

"The papers volition beryllium finalised and made publically disposable aboriginal this week."