Anglican church makes first move towards accepting gay marriages within its dioceses

SCOTLAND'S Episcopal Church became the first Anglican mission branch in Britain to take steps towards allowing gay marriage on its premises after its leaders voted for a change to alter its definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

 

In what could be the first step by the Anglican faith to allow its ministers to conduct gay marriages, the Scottish Episcopal Church's elders voted yesterday to send the recommendation to its seven dioceses for discussion. It the suggestion is accepted, it will lead to the church changing its current laws that strictly define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

 

At the meeting in Edinburgh, church leaders, however, also proposed introducing a conscience clause to the recommendation for those ministers who do not want to officiate a same-sex marriage. Across Scotland, same sex marriages have been legal in civil ceremonies since 2014 but they are not allowed in the church.

 

If accepted, these changes would then be put to another synod vote in 2017. This vote at the Scottish Episcopal Church synod passed with support from five out of seven bishops, 69% of the clergy and 80% of the laity.

 

In January, the Anglican church said it had suspended the US Episcopal Church for three years after it approved ceremonies for same-sex marriages. This issue has long strained ties within the estimated 85m strong Anglican Communion, which includes more liberal members such as the US and Britain and conservatives such as Nigeria and Kenya.

 

In 2014, Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said it would be catastrophic if the Church of England, mother church of the Anglican Communion, accepted gay marriage. He argued that the association could lead to the slaughter of Christians in countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan and South Sudan.