The Church of England’s national assembly has formally abandoned proposals to deliver blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in churches.
The church’s General Synod has said they will continue to consider the issue, but church leaders had concerns on both theological and legal fronts.
“This is not where I want us to be, nor where I hoped we would be three years ago. And I want to acknowledge that wherever you stand on the debate, I know that many of you are feeling angry and disappointed,” said the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell at Synod on Thursday, his comments reported by the BBC.
Blessings on same-sex marriages was being considered after the church made a definite decision in 2023 not to allow same-sex marriages.
Apologising for the pain caused, the Archbishop of York put forward a proposal to set up a working group to continue discussing the issue.
