A report commissioned by the Church of
England has recommended allowing the church to recognize and
celebrate the marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
The report unveiled Thursday by a
working group suggests members of the clergy should “be able to
offer appropriate services to mark a faithful same-sex relationship”
but “should be under no obligation to do so.”
Several in the group signed onto a
“dissenting statement,” the
BBC reported.
Gay couples in England and Wales can
currently enter a civil partnership. But a marriage law approved
over the summer will take effect next year, allowing gay couples to
marry in the nation for the first time.
The law explicitly bans the Church of
England and the Church of Wales from “opting in” to offer
marriages to gay couples, unlike other religious groups. The
prohibition is to ensure that the Church of England and the Church of
Wales cannot be forced to perform such unions.
(Related: Scotland
gay marriage bill clears major hurdle.)