The Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell stated that \u2018the Church of England seeks to welcome all people\u2019, including those in civil partnerships and same-sex marriages but explained that \u2018the reason we are having this discussion is that there are questions about how this welcome can be expressed\u2019.<\/p>\n
He said that the amendment introduces \u2018a discordant note into your Lordships\u2019 consideration of a Bill which is otherwise uncontentious and likely to receive clear support\u2019.<\/p>\n
He said that the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 \u2018seeks to strike a balance between the right of individuals to marry a person of the same sex, and the rights of churches and other religious bodies \u2014 and of their ministers \u2014 to act in a way consistent with their religious beliefs\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo religious body or minister of religion is compelled to solemnise such a marriage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that in its second report on the then Bill, the Joint Committee on Human Rights said that \u2018religious liberty, as granted under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights is a collective as well as individual right\u2019.<\/p>\n
It stated that religious organisations have the right to determine and administer their doctrinal and internal religious affairs without interference from the state.<\/p>\n