Church of England, Catholic Bishops, Declare Opposition to Britain’s Same-Sex Marriage Plan

Thursday, 14 June 2012
Written by Dave Bohon

Officials with Great Britain’s two major Christian denominations have expressed their opposition to a government proposal that would legalize same-sex marriage in the country. The Associated Press reported that the Church of England, as well as the Roman Catholic bishops of England and Wales, formally objected June 12 to a government proposal to officially legalize homosexual marriage, declaring that the Christian position on marriage only permits the union of a man and a woman.

The official opposition from the churches came on the same day that a pro-family group, the Coalition for Marriage, delivered to the office of Prime Minister David Cameron more than a half-million petition signatures opposing the move. The Coalition for Marriage noted that “throughout history and in virtually all human societies marriage has always been the union of a man and a woman. Marriage reflects the complementary natures of men and women. Although death and divorce may prevent it, the evidence shows that children do best with a married mother and a father.”

The AP noted that Prime Minister Cameron “is backing a proposal to permit civil marriages for gay couples, despite the strong opposition of some lawmakers in his Conservative Party. Gay couples are already allowed to have civil partnerships, with the first such ceremony in 2005.” the rest

AP noted that approximately a quarter of all marriage ceremonies in England occur in Church of England facilities, which are legally bound to provide a wedding ceremony for any resident of a local parish who wishes it. Such a requirement would appear to prime Church of England churches for a challenge from homosexual couples once a same-sex marriage law is passed.