Bishops’ sex guidance sparks a strong reaction
DEBATE CONTINUES in the Church over the Pastoral Guidance on Same-Sex Marriage issued by the Bishops on 14 February.
The LGBTI Coalition representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and intersex communities said the Bishops had caused a good deal of anger among members who dislike the tone of the statement and feel that it forecloses issues that should be debated in the facilitated discussions called for by the Pilling Report.
LGBTI said it remains committed to the discussions and feels they are more urgent than ever because of the breakdown in trust following publication of the Bishops’ guidelines.
In a statement and in an open letter to the bishops, LGBTI accused the bishops of issuing their guidelines without consultation with ‘openly gay people’ and of failing to acknowledge that some who signed the guidelines are understood to be gay themselves.
Accusing the bishops of taking the stand that they have in order to preserve unity in the Anglican Communion, LGBTI warned that in African countries the Anglican Church is supporting a theology that ‘backs the violent persecution of LGBTI people’.
“We believe that it is simply immoral for the Church of England to appease these provinces by sacrificing the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people in this country, or any other, or to place the cause of institutional unity above the cause of justice and humanity.”
From a very different perspective, Christian Concern accused the Bishops of endorsing same-sex unions by making special provision for prayers for same-sex marriages and of issuing confusing and contradictory guidance.
There is considerable debate among ecclesiastical lawyers about whether the bishops will be able to discipline clergy who enter into same-sex marriages (some clergy have already indicated their intention to do so).
According to Philip Jones, the courts may want to know why it is inappropriate for a clergy to enter into same-sex marriages but not to remarry after a divorce. He warns that an amendment to the Clergy Discipline Measure to make it clear that entering into a same-sex marriage is an offence would require the consent of Parliament, which is unlikely to be forthcoming.
General Synod does have the power to make canons binding on the clergy so it would be possible for the Church to go down this route and make a new disciplinary canon binding on clergy.
One issue that has not yet received much attention is whether civil partnerships will continue to be offered to same-sex couples when they are not available to heterosexual couples. The Church might see extending them to heterosexuals as weakening the institution of marriage but this may be the price that has to be paid to retain them for same-sex couples.
A number of bishops have issued individual statements saying that the Church remains committed to welcoming LGBTI people.