Civil Partnerships statement
on Monday, 25 July 2005 at 10.34 am by Peter Owen
categorised as Church of England
As expected the Church of England bishops issued their pastoral statement on civil partnerships this morning. You can read it here.
Another copy is here
There is no reason to consult a bishop on entering a Civil Parnership, I understand there is nothing in Canon Law which requires this.
No mention of it at all. If the bishops want to discipline anyone for doing so they will have to introduce a new law, for which approval will have to be obtained ultimately from the government – which created the Civil Partnerships.
the weak wording “must therefore expect to be asked for” in the section “Members of the clergy and candidates for ordination who decide to enter into partnerships must therefore expect to be asked for assurances that their relationship will be consistent with the teaching set out in Issues in Human Sexuality.” might be explained by the final paragraph of Ruth Gledhill’s piece in timesonline “Clergy swear canonical obedience to their bishops at ordination and whenever installed in a new post, but bishops can only require clergy to do what is “lawful and honest”. A senior canon lawyer gave warning: “The… Read more »
What a stunning example of institutionalized hypocrisy! The Anglican Church of Canada and Ecusa are being censured and possibly expelled for what? Honesty only.
The NOrth Americans and the Global South should both reject this double speak of the Church of England.
it seems to me we are where we were at the start of my ministry over remarriage after divorce-we cant do it but we can send enquiring couples to the Methodist Minister down the road.
Dmitri wrote; “What a stunning example of institutionalized hypocrisy!”
Agreed, but not for your reasons. I think this will quickly turn out to be a fudge too far. It’s just begging Bishops and Metropolitans to create dissention by imposing (or not imposing more likely) the required discipline!!
ps It’s approving the sexual bit of homosexual relationships that ACCanada and ECUSA are being censured for. No-one is against “close loving same-sex relationships”.
But they won’t ‘impose’ any discipline – because they can’t. CCTV in the vicarage bedroom, perhaps?
They can’t expect anyone to take them seriously when it is apparent to all that civil partnerships are gay marriage.
Let’s hope this helps the so-called Global South to make their decision to leave a little earlier, taking the conservative element of the CofE with them, then this sort of nonsense can be consigned to the dustbin where it belongs.
Mersymike’s prophecies of impending split are even more real with the Covenant signed at Nassau. This is the first real mainline challenge to the process the ACO and Lambeth have been so desperately trying to manage with, it now seems, little real success. The striking feature of this plan, which Simon will doubtless give us all the details, is that it sets itself a goal of being founded on a unified theology. While Windsor still played the old tune of “reception” and “listening” and was open to development, founding the new Anglican Communion on a fomula concocted by the lawyer… Read more »
camma87, The bishops might decide to remove the licence of clergy who do enter into civil partnerships, and refuse to ordain anyone in such a relationship.
Where such clergy have tenure, they could begin proceedings against them for conduct unbecoming.
But they would all have to agree to support such moves – which seems unlikely.
I do hope you are right, Martin. The CofE would certainly be a much kinder and thoughtful place without conservatives. I’m afraid I don’t go along with people who think a broad church is clearly preferable – I view conservative theology as rather like cancer – ugly, marauding, eating away at anything resembling goodness, leaving death and misery in its wake.
How glad I will be to see them depart.