A day after the Anglican Church of
Canada (ACC) said that a resolution on same-sex marriage had failed,
the church announced on Tuesday that the resolution had been
approved.
After hearing from more than 60
speakers, more than 200 delegates attending the ACC's General Synod
in Toronto voted Monday on the resolution. It failed by one vote.
Supporters questioned the results and
requested a copy of the voting record.
“#GS2016: voting error reveals that
the General Secretary's vote was not counted as clergy. There was,
in fact, a 2/3 clergy majority,” the ACC tweeted.
A second vote in favor at the next
synod in 2019 is needed before the resolution becomes church law.
But several bishops said Tuesday that
they have no plans on waiting that long, saying that the church's
current marriage cannon does not specifically prohibit solemnizing
marriages between two people of the same sex.
Bishop John Chapman of Ottawa said that
gay couples could immediately marry in his diocese.
About 1.6 million Canadians
self-identify as Anglican, making the ACC the nation's third largest
church after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of
Canada.
Conservatives opposed to the resolution
predicted an exodus from the church over the issue.