I'm an Anglican priest. Here's why same-sex couples don't feel welcome in the Church of England
George Orwell.In that vision, the Church of England (CofE), to which the maids were cycling, is of interest primarily to the elderly and the unwed, travelling a lonely road half-hidden from view.
For an increasing majority of the population, it's a view of the CofE that may seem to match reality, the average age of worshippers has topped 51 for the first time, while less than 15% of the population identifies with the state Church — falling to under 3% in those under 24.
Given these statistics, some might have been left wondering about the amount of press coverage of the recent meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England — the Church's governing body — that filled all the major newspapers in the UK this past week.But sex sells, and the CofE has been embroiled in a very public and sometimes rather nasty debate about sex, who can have it and with whom.In England, the CofE is the Established Church — meaning it's recognised by the law as its official church.It has 26 bishops sitting in the Upper House of Parliament, conducts over 40,000 weddings a year, and runs a quarter of all primary schools and over 200 secondary schools attended by a million children.
What it says about sex and relationships is important and impacts many lives.Inevitably, the sort of sex and relationships being discussed are those of gay and lesbian people.Marriage has been open to gay couples in the UK since 2014.
