THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Church of England should “rejoice” at the prospect of marriage between homosexual couples rather than fear it, senior bishops and clergy have said.
In a public letter, the influential members of the Anglican Church claimed that “God’s grace” was at work in allowing same – sex couples to marry.
The group, including members of the General Synod, the CoE’s governing body, dismissed “mistaken” impressions that church leaders were “universally opposed to an extension of civil marriage”.
Instead, they argued that same-sex couples who wanted to “embrace marriage should be a cause for rejoicing in the Christian Church”.
They wrote: "Recent statements by church leaders past and present may have given the mistaken impression that the Church is universally opposed to the extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples. We believe that does not adequately reflect the range of opinion which exists within the Church of England.
“The Church calls marriage holy or sacramental because the covenant relationship of committed, faithful love between the couple reflects the covenanted love and commitment between God and his Church.
“Growing in this kind of love means we are growing in the image of God."
They added: “That there are same-sex couples who want to embrace marriage should be a cause for rejoicing in the Christian Church.”
"We believe that the Church of England has nothing to fear from the introduction of civil marriage for same-sex couples. » | Andrew Hough | Saturday, April 21, 2012
