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In a huge victory for religious freedom, gay and lesbian couples wishing to include religious content in their civil partnership ceremony or wishing to have their ceremony solemnized in a welcoming place of worship may legally do so, according to BBC News. Clergy and congregations wishing to participate in the registering of gay and lesbian civil partnerships will no longer be forbidden from practicing their religion.
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 which established civil partnerships originally forbade inclusion of any religious elements in the civil partnerships registration ceremony. The changes go into effect later this year.
Among those supporting this change was a group of senior Anglican clergy who stated the following in a letter to the House of Lords last year:
To deny people of faith the opportunity of registering the most important promise of their lives in their willing church or synagogue, according to its liturgy, is plainly discriminatory.
Despite this, the Church of England has no intention of opening its churches to civil partnership ceremonies. BBC News quotes a Church of England spokesman:
The House of Bishops’ statement of July 2005 made it clear that the Church of England should not provide services of blessing for those who register civil partnerships and that remains the position.
How long until an Anglican cleric ignores the Church’s intentions and out of his belief, conscience and conviction joins his Jewish, Quaker and Unitarian peers in registering civil partnerships in his local church?
7 Comments
The Established Church issuing a “signing statement” that they don’t intend to follow the Law. That’s just…cute.
And the C of E remains privileged in Britain because…?
Looks like the Bishops have a bad case of wanting to have it both ways…
Funny wrote: “Looks like the Bishops have a bad case of wanting to have it both ways…”
..
You mean like “bi”????
Certainly “opens up the market” by 100%,if you know what I mean
The law doesn’t mandate that churches participate in the registration of civil partnerships. Rather, the law will allow churches to opt in. So the C of E isn’t failing to follow the law by refusing to allow registration of CPs in their churches. They are, however, standing in the way of free expression of the beliefs of their members and clergy who want to.
Cute newcarguy, but I don’t think so. There are many opinions among the various C of E bishops. Even some of those in favor of the change in the law don’t favor registration of CPs in the Anglican Church.
Thanks for the clarification, Laurel.
I still think the Bishes are on the wrong side of history.
How ironic that it should be over an issue of marriage…
Well, if the C of E doesn’t want to opt in, then it can opt out of the civil marriage equality consultation beginning in March 2012 which excludes religious denominations from having to officiate or recognize same-sex marriages once the law is changed.
yeh it’s not as if rightwing anti-gay churches R gonna be forced to hold LGBT weddings
but if their worldview only encompasses actions taken with (at least threat of) force, then that’ll be how they perceive everyone else. projection? maybe