The Church of England’s opposition to gay marriage lacks integrity and should be ignored, the Dean of St Albans said yesterday.
The Independent
Meanwhile, PM David Cameron yesterday gave a welcome commitment to marriage equality, repeating his earlier promise that the coalition government will pass gay marriage legislation during the life of the present parliament - that is, by 2015. Speaking at a Downing Street reception for the LGBT community, he followed Dr John in criticizing the church for its opposition. Recalling that the Conservative Party’s earlier intransigence against equality had earned it a nasty reputation, he warned church leaders that their present hostility could similarly leave them with a nasty legacy to overcome in the future:
In remarks released by Downing Street late last night, the Prime Minister compared his opponents in the Church to the Conservative party “which for many many years got itself on the wrong side of this argument”.
He said: “It locked people out who were naturally Conservative from supporting it and so I think I can make that point to the Church, gently.”
Mr Cameron said that the Church should not “be locking out people who are gay, or are bisexual or are transgender from being full members of that Church, because many people with deeply held Christian views, are also gay”.
He added: “And just as the Conservative Party, as an institution, made a mistake in locking people out so I think the Churches can be in danger of doing the same thing.”
- full report at Telegraph
Related articles
- Dean of St Albans reiterates his support for equal civil marriage (thinkinganglicans.org.uk)
- Cleric attacks church over gay marriage (guardian.co.uk)
- God is for Gay Marriage, Says Anglican Minister: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- Equal civil marriage: some developments (thinkinganglicans.org.uk)
- Religious figures meet at conference to back plans to legalise civil gay marriage (independent.co.uk)
- God backs gay marriage, says Dr Jeffrey John (telegraph.co.uk)
