The House of Bishops uphold their view that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
In a new report released today, they added that there was still “little support for changing the Church of England’s teaching on marriage.”
It’s a view that will continue to frustrate gay rights campaigners and risks the Church being further alienated from modern society’s views and attitudes.
The Church of England came to this conclusion after two years of discussions.
However, despite refusing to lift their opposition on same-sex marriage, the Church did acknowledge that it needs to “repent on the homophobic attitudes” it has previously had.
What’s more, they advise that church law and guidance should be interpreted to provide “maximum freedom” for LGBT+ people.
“We hope the tone and register of this report will help to commend it, though we recognise it will be challenging reading for some,” said Graham James, the bishop of Norwich.
“This is no last word on this subject. For there are very different views on same-sex relationships within the church, and within the house of bishops, mainly based on different understandings of how to read scripture.”
Moreover, the report says that everyone seeking ordination or appointment as bishops should be questioned about their lifestyle, not just LGBT+ candidates.
The Church of England stated that while this report represented the consensus of its bishops’ opinions, it was not a unanimous view.
The report will now be discussed at the General Synod in February.
