The Church of England should follow the example of Anglicans in Wales and Scotland, and give its blessing to gay and lesbian relationships
For LGBT+ Christians, 2021 provided two significant causes for celebration. In June, the Methodist church became the largest religious denomination in the UK to allow same-sex marriage. Soon after, the Anglican Church in Wales voted to introduce special blessings for same-sex married couples. Across the border in England, the bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev Paul Bayes, hailed the Welsh move, saying: “I trust that my own church will follow this creative and gospel-inspired lead, and I hope that this will happen soon.”
After more than a decade of bitter deadlock and hurtful division in the Church of England, there is a chance that this will be the year progress is made towards answering Bishop Bayes’ prayers. In April, a church-wide consultation on sexuality will come to an end, with its findings due to be published in the autumn under the title Listening to the Whole Church. The intention, according to the bishop of London, the Right Rev Sarah Mullally, is to find “a way forward for the church in relation to human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage”. A commitment has been made to establishing a clear direction of travel at a General Synod in February 2023.
