Church of England General Synod halts work on LGBTQ+ equality | Anglicanism
The hopes of progressive Christians in the Church of England were dealt a major blow on Thursday when, after years of bitter and divisive debate, the board of the C of E agreed to pause work on LGBTQ+ equality.
The General Synod, meeting in London, supported a document from the bishops concluding that no consensus could be reached between conservative and liberal camps within the church.
The issue will now be put in the deep freeze until a new synod is established. Liberal and conservative groups are expected to campaign on the issue in this year’s elections in the hope of breaking the deadlock in their favour.
On Thursday, synod members backed the bishops’ proposal to halt all work on a process known as Living with Love and Faith (LLF) by a vote of 252 to 132, with 21 abstentions. The bishops’ motion acknowledged “the distress and pain experienced by many people, particularly LTBTQI+ people, during the LLF process.”
The decision marks the end of a three-year push to allow clergy to conduct special services to bless civilly married same-sex couples. The ban on clergy marrying same-sex partners in a civil ceremony will continue.
Sarah Mullally, archbishop of Canterbury, said the LLF had “left us scarred as individuals and as a church” but that the bishops’ proposals were “a logical way forward that will take us to the next steps”.
In a five-hour debate, many councilors spoke of their pain, anger and feelings of betrayal at the C of E’s failure to make progress on issues. London priest Charlie Bączyk-Bell, who campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality, said he was heartbroken.
Addressing bishops and other synod members, he said: “How dare you and we dare to lament again and accept distress and pain, while we continue to inflict pain?… What kind of church is this? How did things get to this point?”
Claire Robson, a vicar from Newcastle, said it was now unlikely she would marry her same-sex partner because of her age. “The changes we long for will come too late for most of us,” he said.
He added that the cost of the LLF process was £1.6 million, “but the cost to my life and service is incalculable… Hopes have been dashed and apologies have become meaningless”.
Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York, who proposed the motion, said: “This is not where I want us to be and it is not where we hoped to be three years ago… I know many of you feel angry and disappointed. There is a lot of pain and that pain goes beyond so-called ‘party lines’ or espoused theological beliefs.”
But he added: “Knowing how divided we are on these issues, we have failed to find further ways to honor the consciences of those who, conscientiously reading the scriptures and faithfully guided by tradition and their understanding of lived human experience, have come to different conclusions.”
He said the bishops and the synod were “more deeply divided, I think, than we know or acknowledge.”
A new working group on “relationships, sexuality and gender” will be established to “continue the work”, the motion text states. Vicky Brett, a lay member of the synod who spoke at the debate, said it met the definition of insanity: “do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result”.
The issue of sexuality and same-sex marriage has brought the Anglican church close to division in recent years. After more than a decade of rancorous debate, the synod finally concluded in early 2023 that it would not support church weddings for same-sex couples, but priests would be allowed to bless same-sex couples within regular services.
The decision led church leaders in some developing countries, including South Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to say they no longer recognize the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as the head of the global church.
In July 2024, C of E Evangelical Council He said he would establish a parallel province because of the decision to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages. It was stated that such blessings were “contrary to the teaching of the Bible.”
Some clergy challenged the C of E hierarchy to offer independent blessing services to same-sex couples; It is seen by some as a de facto church wedding, although it has no legal basis.
Equality advocates said there was anecdotal evidence that LGBTQ+ Christians were leaving C and E because they felt unwelcome.
