Church of England bishops have rejected calls to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages, despite it being legal in the country since 2013.
Instead, they have proposed that couples who get married in a civil ceremony may have their union blessed in church. This suggestion will be debated at the Church’s equivalent of a parliament, the General Synod, in February.
It comes after bishops met on 17 January to finalise their recommendations on same-sex marriage after five years of consultation and debate.
Several of the bishops at the meeting are believed to have said that Holy Matrimony is only between one man and one woman and changes to this view would not be put to a vote, BBC News reported.