Church Of England reaffirms stance on traditional marriage

The Church of England has reaffirmed its stance that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman but vowed that "maximum freedom" will be given to those who are in LGBT relationships.

Following years of discussions on sexuality, the bishops have declared that there "are no proposals" to change laws that prohibit homosexual couples to get married in church and prevent clergy from entering into same-sex marriages, Christian Today reported.

However, the bishops acknowledged in a 15-page report that the Church needs to adopt a "fresh tone and culture of welcome and support for lesbian and gay people."

The Rt. Rev. Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, who will present the report to the General Synod on Feb. 15, said that the Church should not adjust its doctrines according to the "fashions of any particular time."

The report, entitled "Marriage and Same Sex Relationships after the Shared Conversations," has recommended that new teachings on marriage and relationships should be developed in order to replace those introduced in the 1990s.

The bishops have acknowledged that the current rules on whether clergy can offer prayers or a service to formally welcome homosexual couples are unclear.

They also vowed to consider changing how gay clergy are questioned regarding their sexuality. Under present rules, gay ordinands, including those in a long term relationship, are required to take part in a vow of celibacy. However, there is no such requirement for heterosexual couples.

James admitted that the current rules "are not really working very well." The report noted that questions about sexual conduct should apply equally to both homosexual and heterosexual ordinands.

"We believe we should revisit how this is explored beforehand so the same questions are addressed to everybody without distinction," he said.

The bishops acknowledged that the report "may prove challenging or difficult reading" for some members of the Church.

"This is no last word on this subject. For there are very different views on same-sex relationships within the church, and within the house of bishops, mainly based on different understandings of how to read scripture," said James, according to the Independent.