Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Gay and Lesbian Relationships

Thursday 27 January 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Church of England defines marriage as between one man and one woman, making changes to doctrine a serious matter.
  • Diana R. Johnson highlighted that in Wales and Scotland, Churches bless same-sex marriages, showing acceptance.
  • The Church of England is conducting extensive consultations to discern God's guidance on these matters.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Diana R. Johnson Lab Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Religion & Faith
Context

The Church of England has not provided a church blessing for same-sex relationships, raising questions about its doctrinal stance.

Question

For what reason the Church of England has not made provision to enable a church blessing of gay and lesbian relationships.

Answer from Andrew Selous

The Church of England's doctrine defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and changing doctrine is a serious matter that involves humbly seeking to discern the mind of God. The Church of England is engaging intensively with questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in ways that have not been done before. That process of learning, listening and discernment among clergy and congregations is enabling a deep engagement with difference and diversity as part of the Church's discernment of a way forward.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline or commitment for changing doctrine to allow blessings.

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Q2 Diana R. Johnson Lab Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Women & Equalities Religion & Faith
Context

In Wales and Scotland, blessings for same-sex marriages exist within their churches, showing acceptance and understanding of diverse families.

Question

I was interested to hear what the hon. Member said about supporting families and households, because in Wales and Scotland, there are blessings for lesbian and gay marriages, which shows the Churches' acceptance and understanding of all households and families. It would be good for the Church of England to introduce a Measure on this issue sooner rather than later, as we know that it often moves at a glacial pace, as it did on ordaining women and having women bishops.

Answer from Andrew Selous

I thank the right hon. Lady for the question. What she suggests may be welcome, but the Church needs to discern what it believes the true teachings of the gospels to be. In order to determine where God is leading us, we are engaged in one of the most extensive exercises in consultation, learning and prayer carried out by the Church in recent decades. Both the destination and how we get there are important.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to introducing a measure or timeline for changing doctrine.

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