APPROVAL of stand-alone services of blessing for same-sex couples is unlikely to be put to the General Synod this summer, it has been announced. Decisions on whether clergy can enter into same-sex civil marriages, and on what structural provisions there should be for those who oppose the changes, are also likely to be delayed.
At a meeting of the House of Bishops, members agreed to extend the timetable for the implementation of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, says a press release. issued on Monday evening. “They agreed to extend the timetable to ensure that all elements of the proposals are sufficiently developed for a decision to be taken on them as a whole.”
The sticking point is understood to be clergy same-sex marriage. Despite votes in both the House and College of Bishops in 2023, in which a majority voted for priests be permitted to enter into same-sex marriages (News, 27 October 2023), bishops are still debating whether and how this change can be introduced.
In November, a booklet on the “next steps” in the LLF process was published which said that the House of Bishops intended to make a decision this month, and present proposals to the Synod in February (News, 22 November 2024).
Also in November, the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, who is leading the LLF process, said that stand-alone services of blessing would be available “before too long”.
Monday’s statement, however, says that, while an update will still be given to Synod in February, it is unlikely that proposals will be put to a formal vote of the Synod in July.
Dates for a November meeting of the Synod are reserved every year, but seldom used. If there is a realistic prospect that a full package of proposals can be ready in time, the contingency dates could be used to debate them.
At Monday’s meeting, bishops heard feedback from members of the LLF working groups, which have been discussing the proposals (News, 8 May 2024).
“After considered reflection on the complexity and depth of the proposed changes, it became clear that Bishops with views across the range of different perspectives agreed that it was unlikely all elements of the proposals would be sufficiently developed in time for Synod to make a decision in July,” the statement says.
The chair of Together for the Church of England, Canon Neil Patterson, said on Tuesday that the delay was “understandable”, as it seemed that the Bishops had yet to reach a decision on allowing the clergy to enter into same-sex marriages.
The LLF working group of which Canon Patterson is a member was unable, he said, to write guidance on how changes could be introduced “without the basic decision being taken by the Bishops about clergy marriage”.
The House of Bishops, he said, seemed “content to wait” on the Faith and Order Commission’s Episcopal Reference Group, which preparing further commentary on the proposals, “whilst clergy, ordinands and candidates live in limbo”.
