The Archbishop of Toronto, the Most Revd Colin Johnson, said that he would be considering a similar direction.
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“The Bible runs so deeply in my veins I can not imagine my life without it”, she told the 200 delegates at the synod meeting. “Prayers for all those wounded by the anti-LGBTQ vote”. “I believe it’s the right thing to do”.
Johnson’s amendment removed the original conscience clause stipulations and replaced them with an opt-in that would require a diocesan bishop to authorize same-sex marriages. He argued that Canon XXI did not contain a “specific prohibition against solemnising same-sex marriage”, and that Anglican conventions allowed bishops to authorise “liturgies to respond to pastoral needs within their dioceses, in the absence of any actions by this General Synod to address these realities”.
Those of our churches who now wish to offer full marriage services to same-sex couples are free to do just that – and those churches who do not wish to are not compelled to. Earlier this year, Anglican leaders temporarily restricted the role of the U.S. Episcopal Church in their global fellowship as a sanction over the American church’s acceptance of gay marriage.
With approximately 60,000 members, the URC is a Protestant Church with roots in Presbyterianism. In remarks ahead of the vote, Archbishop Fred Hiltz urged respectful discussions on a topic that has proven bitterly divisive. “Surely, we can model a better way”.
“It has come to my attention as a pastor that… some members… have experienced bullying”, he said.
The vote sparked bitter disappointment among some members.
Because the General Synod rules of order do allow a session of synod to revisit a decision it has made, but only if the motion to do so passes with two-thirds approval from the whole house, a separate vote was required before the issue at hand could be voted on again.
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The motion was opposed by several delegates from Canada’s indigenous communities. This means that the URC is now the largest United Kingdom denomination to freely permit the celebration and registration of marriages of same-sex couple in its churches.
