Church of England don abandon proposals for same-sex blessing ceremonies

Di Church of England national assembly don formally abandon proposals to deliver blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples for churches.

Di General Synod vote to kontinu to look into di issue in di future, but Bishops don already decide say e get theological and legal barriers to hold such ceremonies now.

Dem bin get one emotional testimony from some gay Christians during di Synod debate and warnings say many liberals and LGBT pipo dey abandon di Church.

Church leaders apologise for di hurt wey dem cause to "both sides", wit conservatives wey also complain about a lack of clarity from bishops about traditional teaching about marriage and sexuality.

"Dis no be wia I want us to be, nor wia I hope we go dey three years ago. And I wan acknowledge say wiaeva una stand on di debate, I know say many of una dey angry and disappointed," na so di Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell tok for di Synod on Thursday.

For early 2023 after 10 years of bitter debate, di Church of England finally decide say, unlike some oda Anglican churches like di Scottish Episcopal Church, dem no go support gay marriage.

Instead, dem propose church "blessings" for same-sex couples, a move wey bin dey endorsed by a Synod vote, and dem set up a process to try to work out how stand-alone blessing ceremonies for gay couples go fit work.

But dis Synod don mark di end of dat process, di work wey dey estimated to cost £1.6m.

Apologising for di pain, di Archbishop of York put forward a proposal to set up a working group to continue to discuss di issue.

"You don break my heart. I no fit believe say we dey here again, after all dis time, with only dis to offer," di Reverend Charlie Bączyk-Bell, a gay priest and member of Synod wey dey based in London, tok.

Dr Bączyk-Bell say di process don become a "facetious charade" and na "false equivalence" to tok about hurt to those wey dey theologically opposed to di idea of marriage equality.

"No be di same tin for your entire self to dey debated, ripped apart, dissected, insulted, trampled on for dis chamber and more widely as if na mere abstract question," e tok.

Through tears, Dr Bączyk-Bell apologise to LGBTQ+ members of di Church of England wey dey affected "for wetin we continue to put you through" and say "we no fit celebrate you di way we suppose".

Although both gay marriage and stand-alone blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples now dey off di table for di Church of England, blessing prayers for such couples wey form part of ordinary Sunday church services dey allowed since 2023.

Di Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) bin don tok bifor say same-sex blessings dey "contrary to di teaching of di Bible", and during Thursday debate, some insist say no be just LGBT+ Christians wey dey scarred by developments.

"Those like me, wey hold to di historic teaching, also feel dat pain, and all groups need to dey recognised," na so Simon Clift, a lay member of Synod from Winchester tok.

Busola Sodeinde, anoda lay member of Synod from London say Anglicans for di "Global South" dey "wounded" and feel say dem no dey adequately consulted.

"To refer to dem as 'homophobic' as some dey do, when dem believe say dem dey seek to remain faithful to God word no only dey unhelpful, e dey gravely unjust," she tok.

Although di decisions of Synod no dey directly affect wetin Anglican churches around di world teach, some of such churches don threaten to leave di Anglican Communion over di issue of blessings for same-sex unions.

But for 2017 di Episcopal Church in Scotland go much further and vote for marriage equality for gay couples.

And while di Anglican Church in Wales no dey allow same-sex weddings dem don also take greater steps than di Church of England by authorising blessing services for gay couples.

Although Synod vote on Thursday for a working group to dey set up to continue to discuss di issue, some upset by di collapse of di process to offer same-sex blessing services come warn say many don dey abandon di Church in disappointment.

At di end of Thursday debate, di new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, address di Synod and tok of di difficulties of navigating di issue in recent years.

"E don touch some of our deepest theological views but also di core part of our identity. E don wounded us as individuals and also as a Church and diafor I dey grateful say you still dey here," Dame Sarah tok.

Additional reporting by Catherine Wyatt.