Sex only belongs within heterosexual marriage, COE bishops say in new advice

 Civil partnerships should be no more than “sexually abstinent friendships”, the Church of England has stated.

Following a landmark legal battle, which resulted in the recent introduction of mixed-sex civil partnerships, bishops have now issued pastoral guidance to clergy on how to deal with the issue.

Religious leaders have concluded that sex belongs only within heterosexual marriage, and that Christians who are in either gay or straight civil partnerships should remain sexually abstinent.

The statement from the House of Bishops said that sex outside marriage falls “short of God’s purposes for human beings” and concludes that those in civil partnerships – whether same-sex or opposite-sex – can be ordained, as long as they commit to celibacy. For decades, the church has been divided over how to deal with LGBT issues and has embarked on a study of human sexuality, “Living in Love and Faith”, which is due to be published later this year.

The latest comments have sparked criticism from LGBT campaigners within and outside the church.

In the new document, entitled Civil Partnerships – for same sex and opposite sex couples, A pastoral statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England, the bishops say: “The Church’s teaching on sexual ethics remains unchanged.

“For Christians, marriage – that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows – remains the proper context for sexual activity.”