More than 100 clerics in the dioÂcese of London have written asking for the right to choose whether or not to officiate at civil-partnership ceremonies in church.
A letter sent yesterday to the London diocesan representatives on General Synod states: “We, the undersigned, believe that, on the issue of holding civil-partnership ceremonies in Church of England churches, incumbents/priests-in-charge should be accorded the same rights as they enjoy at present in the matter of officiating at the marriage of divorced couples in church. Namely, that this should be a matter for the individual conscience of the incumbent/priest-in-charge.
“We would respectfully request that our views in this regard are fully represented in Synod.”
The Government has relaxed the rules, so that now a civil partnership ceremony can be registered in a place of worship. It has, however, allowed exemptions, and the House of Bishops has insisted that the clergy observe a complete ban.
I was ASTONISHED to see that the Rev’d Dr Edward Norman (of St James, Garlickhythe) signed this petition — if this is the same Dr. Norman who was the 1978 Reith Lecturer, a historian and a one-time fellow of Peterthouse, subsequently Chancellor of York Minster, the author of *Church and Society in England 1770-1970* (1978) and many other books and articles.
[blockquote] “St Luke’s has not approached all the London clergy; none the less, Prebendary Leathard said: “This is a substantial proportion. We should like our General Synod representÂatives to hear this groundswell, and represent those views in the Synod.” [/blockquote]
Nice try. This is actually only a small proportion of the clergy of the Diocese of London and quite a few of them are not parish clergy. Suddenly under Preb. Leathard’s spin, it becomes a “groundswell”, which must be “fully” heard in Synod. Typical liberal lobbying tactics.
The Church of England is haemorrhaging both numbers and financial support. As the recent experience in America shows, this is the natural result of liberal teaching. These 100 clerics in the Diocese of London are determined to push CofE down the same road that TEC and ACiC have followed. They do not deserve to be heard in Synod.