In a first for the Church of England, Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce, an associate priest couple, received a blessing at St John the Baptist Church in Felixstowe, Suffolk. The House of Bishops recently allowed same-sex couples blessings, and the women celebrated their “love and friendship” and “commitment to one another”. The General Synod voted in favour of allowing such blessings for same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages in February.
Whilst Canon Andrew Dotchin, who presided over the ceremony, and a member of the General Synod, did not mention the legislative change, he referred to the women’s “pilgrimage graced by God’s blessing, with you as their companion in the dark, where they can rejoice and hope in sustaining their love for all the days of their lives”. Dotchin’s prayers had been commended by the House of Bishops for use in regular public worship, including Sunday Eucharist or Evensong, after extensive debate that had lasted two days.
The motion received 24 votes for, with 11 against and three abstentions, but there has been no legislative change, and it remains up to individual clergy to decide whether or not to offer blessings.
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