Church of England blesses gay couples

London:

The Church of England’s governing body on Thursday endorsed a plan for priests to bless same-sex couples, after hours of fierce debate highlighting deep Anglican divisions over the issue.

The Church’s General Synod – consisting of hundreds of elected members who meet two or three times a year – supported the proposals by a wide margin after eight hours of debate over two days.

A total of 250 bishops, clergy and laity supported the reforms, while 181 opposed them and 10 abstained at the Synod meeting in central London.

Unveiled last month after nearly six years of internal debate, the plans will not change rules banning Anglican priests from officiating at the weddings of same-sex couples.

Members of the Synod supported an amendment supporting that stance, while also voting in favor of a proposal to allow blessings for civil marriages or civil partnerships in a church.

He also recognized “the church’s failure to welcome” LGBTQ people, following an unprecedented apology by the bishop last month for the “hostile and homophobic backlash” they have sometimes faced.

But the move has sparked a backlash from progressive Anglicans who say the church is not going far enough, and critics who argue any changes are divisive and unwanted.

Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, welcomed the synod’s support for the changes, and acknowledged the split with the Anglican Church in Britain and beyond.

“I recognize that there are people who are deeply grateful for this and there are people who are hurt,” she said, vowing to “remain mindful of the deep divisions”.

“These divisions on these questions go to the heart of our human identity,” Mullally said.

“The archbishop and I hope that today’s thoughtful, prayerful debate marks a new beginning for the Church as we seek to move forward in listening to one another.”

The Church of England has been under political pressure to reform its approach to same-sex marriage since it became legal in England and Wales in 2013.

Although dozens of other countries have legalized same-sex unions, homosexuality remains banned in many parts of the world.

This includes the highly religious and conservative countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which help make up the Anglican Communion of 165 churches in 43 countries.

Anglicanism claims approximately 85 million members, and is the third largest Christian community after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)