Church of England admits same-sex couple blessing services unlikely before 2025
Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of offering blessings to same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages after a marathon near-eight-hour debate across two days.The church later formally apologised for its "shameful" treatment of LGBTQI+ people, admitting they had "received a hostile and homophobic response" at times but should be and are "welcome and valued".While the blessings were welcomed by some as progress on what has long been a divisive issue, those who have campaigned for same-sex marriage within the church said they do not go far enough, while others still feel they go too far.Dame Sarah said prayers of blessing for same-sex couples should be able to be used "soon", but that she recognised disagreement remained.She said: "What we recognise is that as a church, we don't all agree on these issues.
