The Canadian house of bishops on Oct. 31 said a \u201clarge majority\u201d\u009d of its members could affirm \u201ca continued commitment to the greatest extent possible\u201d\u009d to a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions but also recognized that this would pose difficulty for some dioceses \u201cthat in conscience have made decisions on these matters.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, acknowledged that this stance allows dioceses such as Montreal and Ottawa some wiggle room to continue what their bishops have recently described as \u201cincremental\u201d\u009d and \u201cexperiential\u201d\u009d steps toward same-sex blessings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very honest statement from the point of view that it clearly reflects the reality of the Canadian church \u201d\u00a6 that there are some within the house who would not stand within that majority,\u201d\u009d said Archbishop Hiltz in an interview at the end of the meeting Oct. 27 to 31.<\/p>\n