MPs today hit out at the Church of England for not allowing same-sex couples to marry in its churches.
The Church was accused of ‘cruelty’, ‘hypocrisy’, ‘discrimination’ and of treating gay people as ‘second-class citizens’ during exchanges in the House of Commons.
It was also questioned how ‘meaningful’ a recent apology by the Church to LGBTQI+ people would be, if it maintained its stance on same-sex marriage.
The issue was raised in an urgent question in the Commons this afternoon after the Church last week said it would bless same-sex civil marriages for the first time.
The Bishops of the Church of England have also written an letter formally apologising for the ‘shameful’ times LGBTQI+ people have been ‘rejected or excluded’.
But there has been anger at the Church’s refusal to change its position on gay marriage, with same-sex couples still unable to marry in its churches.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, tonight defended the Church’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex partnerships as a ‘huge step’.
He admitted the Church was ‘deeply divided’ on the issue and revealed he had received ‘flak’ from opponents of the ‘controversial’ decision to allow blessings.
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Source: Daily Mail
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