Church apologises to LGBT people
THE Church of England could hold a historic vote on gay marriage as early as 2022, as the Archbishops apologise for the “damage and hurt” caused to the LGBT community.
The House of Bishops published its long-awaited report, Living in Love and Faith (LLF), in an attempt to hold “open and honest” discussions and learning about gender identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage – subjects which are controversial within the Christian faith.
In a foreword to the report, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, acknowledge and apologise for the “huge damage and hurt” that has been caused particularly to LGBT people within the Church.
However, the Archbishops also gave an indication of the timeline for “decision-making” regarding issues such as same-sex marriage, saying that they hoped to come to conclusions by 2022.
The report also said that while some controversial opinions relate to the ethics and lifestyle of opposite-sex relationships, questions about gender and pastoral provisions for transgender people, the “most pressing among our differences are questions around samesex relationships”. “We recognise that here decisions in several interconnected areas need to be made with some urgency,” it added.
Writing in the foreword, the Archbishops said: “Discernment requires time. Many people wish that we could jump to a quick decision as a church in England.
“However, in this process, we have been committed to listening to people’s life stories, to being open to questions, and to understanding each other’s views.
“We acknowledge that we in the Church of England are just one small part of the Anglican Communion and the universal Christian Church, and of the wider human family. In taking time, and yet moving comparatively quickly (at least in terms of the average speed of change in church history), we have sought both to respect the enormous importance of the questions discussed in this book and the fears, anxieties and pastoral impact on those who have been anticipating its outcomes with growing impatience.”
It is anticipated that this period of “church-wide learning and engagement” will take place during 2021. The House of Bishops would then bring the “decision-making” to a conclusion in 2022 – the results of which would then be put before Synod.
The landmark report, led by the Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth, was published yesterday after being launched three years ago. During a press conference after the launch of the report, Bishop Christopher added that the Church’s teaching on marriage is “ripe for development”, and that the resources in LLF will “help the church eventually to face that sort of question”.
Jayne Ozanne, a prominent LGBT campaigner and former member of the Archbishops Council, welcomed the Archbishops’ apology for the “huge damage and hurt” that has been caused to LGBTI+ people.
However, she added: “But, listening and learning is not enough. We need to act now to ensure that safeguards are put in place to protect LGBT+ people.”