Anglican Church To Debate Same-Sex Marriage Today

The Church of England will on Wednesday debate plans allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, amid deep Anglican divisions over the issue in Britain and beyond.

Hundreds of members of the General Synod — the Church’s elected governing body, which meets two or three times a year — will discuss and vote on the proposals unveiled last month by bishops.

There is no change to rules banning Anglican priests from officiating at weddings of same-sex couples. But under the proposals, they could offer “God’s blessing” for civil marriages or civil partnerships in a church.

In an open letter, bishops also issued an apology directly to LGBTQ people last month for the sometimes “hostile and homophobic response” they have faced in parishes.