Cape Town defers decision on same-sex marriages

Friday, 28th August 2009
By George Conger

The Diocese of Cape Town’s triennial synod deferred action last week on a motion that sought to place same-sex relationships on the morally equivalent footing as marriage, pushing the matter onto the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa for review.

On Aug 22, delegates from St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, whose dean the Rev Rowan Smith is the only “out” gay clergyman in the South African church, asked synod to request that it commend to Archbishop Thabo Makgoba that the church give “serious and prayerful consideration to the acceptance of gays and lesbians in their committed partnerships as valued members of our parishes".

The basis for accepting committed same-sex partnerships within the life of the church arose from the “long-standing tradition within the Anglican Communion of respect for individual conscience, in seeking to be faithful disciples of Jesus,” the resolution said. the rest