CofE rebrands LLF with new same-sex marriage working groups

Church of England (CofE) bishops have now been appointed to lead groups to establish how clergy could legitimately enter same-sex ‘marriages’.

Tricia Hillas, Bishop of Sodor and Man, will chair the Relationships, Sexuality and Gender Working Group, which will consider CofE rules and processes to establish quasi-wedding services for same-sex couples and legitimise clergy same-sex relationships. It will report back to the General Synod in two years.

In February, the General Synod agreed to form this group when it voted to bring the controversial Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process to an end.

And a Pastoral Consultative Group to advise on individual cases will be chaired by Bishop Philip Mounstephen. It will produce an annual report to “inform the ongoing deliberation and discernment” of the working group and the bishops.

Enabling same-sex marriages

One of the aims of the Relationships, Sexuality and Gender Working Group is to define “appropriate legislative changes and further work required to enable clergy to enter same sex marriages”.

It will also explore “Resourcing the pastoral care for transgender people” and “Modelling healthy sexual relationships, including pornography”.

Tricia Hillas was not a bishop in 2023 when the House of Bishops voted in favour of introducing standalone services to bless same-sex couples.

Inclusivity over purity

Bishop Mounstephen was previously co-chair of the Living in Love and Faith steering group alongside the now Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally.

When taking up his post as Bishop of Westminster two years ago, he was quizzed on a number of his views, including on same-sex marriage.

He said: “My understanding of marriage is that it is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. But I long for us to be a generous and welcoming church and a non-judgemental church, so my pastoral instinct is always to include rather than exclude and I would much rather have a messy church with some unanswered questions in it than a pure church that goes on excluding people.

“I would be the first to recognise that there were good things in same-sex relationships that I think should be recognised and celebrated … some of the nicest, most supportive, least judgemental clergy in the diocese of Truro were the gay clergy who were just a joy to work with.”

Pushing for change

Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York commented: “I am delighted that both Tricia and Philip have agreed to chair these groups, and am deeply grateful to them for their willingness to serve.

“I know both of them will undertake this work with integrity, sensitivity and great care.”

The National Director of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Rev John Dunnett, responded to the announcement of these groups in February: “It is anticipated that the newly established groups will be pushed very hard by those wanting to pursue change to bring to the General Synod, as quickly as possible, some kind of proposal to amend the canons of the Church of England, so that clergy same-sex marriage will be a possibility.

“It’s also possible that the General Synod will find itself debating a motion, even as early as this July, exploring the proposal that intimate same-sex relationships are entirely compatible with Christian discipleship.”

Biblical ethics

The Christian Institute’s Head of Communications Angus Saul said: “There is no ‘appropriate’ way for clergy to be in so-called same-sex marriages, and the sooner the Church of England realises it the better.

“Instead of bending over backwards to try and avoid accepting orthodox teaching, the bishops should be boldly proclaiming biblical sexual ethics as the best way for human flourishing for all people, no matter what their situations or struggles.

“Pastoral sensitivity cannot come at the cost of moral compromise, and lying to parishioners and the nation at large by claiming same-sex relationships are not sinful helps no-one.

“It drives faithful ministers and laity away from the Church of England, but far worse than that, it leaves the lost mired in their sin without recognising their need of a Saviour.”