The Church of England and LGBTQI+ people

The Church of England may have apologised for the treatment of LGBTI+ people through the years - but can they be sincere in their apology when not allowing for same-sex marriage?

Milan Perera Arts Critic Columnist, Third Year

After an impassioned and often hair-splitting debate lasting more than eight hours, the Church of England’s national assembly, the General Synod, voted by 250 votes to 181 to back a proposal by bishops intended to bring a long-awaited resolution to its teaching on sexuality and LGBTQI+ people.

The synod also agreed that the Church will apologise for the way it has treated LGBTQ+ people. It welcomed a forthcoming review of a ban on clergy entering into same-sex civil marriages and a celibacy rule for clergy in same-sex relationships. It stipulated that ‘the C of E will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church’ for bless- ings. On the whole, this is to be celebrated as a minor victory on the long road to full equality for LGBTQI+ people within the CoE. But is it just another juicy bone in the direction of the progressive faction of the church with not much substance to munch on?

Could this refusal to grant full recognition to same-sex marriage be the Church's desperate attempt to hold on to their last bastion, Africa?

But a quick glance at the statistics might shed some light on the adamant refusal of CoE to grant full equality to its LGBTQI+ clergy and laity. Although the Church of England stands as the state church where the King is the head, its numbers have been dwindling at a rapid pace where more and more church buildings are becoming empty and obsolete.

The African continent has been a bulwark of Anglican faith where it steadily grew despite its dwindling numbers in England. The number of Anglican faithful in Nigeria tops the world Anglican communion with a staggering 17.5 million while in Uganda and Sudan it reads 8 million and 5 million respectively. Could this refusal to grant full recognition to same-sex marriage be the church’s desperate attempt to hold onto its last bastion, Africa? It is undisputed that the status of the LGBTQI+ people in Africa remains poor. The root of this prejudice is directly linked to the regressive laws codified into the legal systems of these countries by the British. These anti-LGBTQI+ legislations have ossified in these countries.

Martin Warner, the bishop of Chichester, rightly pointed out that that equal marriage would ‘under-