While the House of Bishops has said that the upcoming vote to allow same-sex marriage in the Anglican Church of Canada is unlikely to get the number of votes it needs from their order, Archbishop Fred Hiltz said it is not a clear-cut division.<\/p>\n
When it comes to allowing same-sex marriage, the bishops seem to be thinking \u201cyes,\u201d\u009d \u201cno\u201d\u009d and \u201cmaybe\u201d\u009d in roughly equal proportions, Hiltz said. A number of bishops in the Canadian church also have a \u201choly desire\u201d\u009d to consider alternatives to a simple yes-no vote on same-sex marriages, he said. Some have given considerable thought to other alternatives, and these are likely to be the main topic of conversation when the House of Bishops next meets in April, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality in our House [of Bishops]\u201d\u201dand I think it\u2019s a reflection of what\u2019s in the church at large\u201d\u201dis that, I think, we\u2019ve got about a third of the bishops that would clearly love to see us move, and we\u2019ve got a third that would say no\u201d\u00a6and I think we\u2019ve got a third that are really wrestling. That\u2019s my sense,\u201d\u009d Hiltz said. \u201cSo clearly you haven\u2019t got a two-thirds either way.\u201d\u009d Since a change to the marriage canon is considered a matter of doctrine, it will need the approval of at least two-thirds of three orders\u201d\u201dlaity, clergy and bishops\u201d\u201dat two consecutive General Synods to be passed. The first such vote is slated for this July.<\/p>\n