The Church of England’s bishops have decided to halt plans for a trial of standalone blessing services for same-sex couples, saying the proposal needs broader
approval from the Church’s governing body before moving forward.
While same-sex couples can still receive blessings during regular church services, the idea of holding separate ceremonies has faced strong opposition from conservative members of the Anglican community. Critics argued that the special services would be too similar to weddings and conflict with the Church’s official stance that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York and the Church’s second most senior bishop, said the bishops had reached their decision after “further legal and theological advice.” He acknowledged, however, that the move would be “difficult and disappointing” for many who had hoped the Church would take a more inclusive step.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Bishop Sarah Mullally was named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury — the first woman ever to hold the post. Mullally’s appointment has been met with criticism from conservative Anglicans, particularly in Africa and Asia, who have long disagreed with their Western counterparts over same-sex relationships and the ordination of women.
While the bishops’ decision may help ease some of those tensions, it also puts Mullally in a challenging position. She had previously supported the proposed blessing services, which were narrowly approved in 2023 for a three-year trial but never implemented due to disagreements over how they would work in practice.
On Wednesday, the bishops decided that any move toward separate same-sex blessing services would now require approval from two-thirds of the Church’s governing body — a council made up of bishops, clergy, and lay members.
The Church of England, which still does not allow same-sex marriages in its 16,000 parishes, first made history in 2022 when it voted to permit priests to bless same-sex couples as part of ordinary public worship. Photo by Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia commons.