Penny Mordaunt urges Church of England to allow gay marriages
Gabriella Swerling
Mon, January 16, 2023
Penny Mordaunt - DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images
Penny Mordaunt has urged the Church of England to allow gay marriage ahead of an historic vote by bishops, marking the first intervention by a Cabinet minister on the issue.
Ms Mordaunt, the Leader of the Commons and MP for Portsmouth North, has written to the Bishop of Portsmouth, calling on him to “recognise the pain and trauma” that failure to recognise same-sex marriage causes to “many LGBT+ people who are left feeling that they are treated as second class citizens within our society”.
According to current canon law, no Church of England minister can bless or marry gay couples.
Ms Mordaunt’s interjection is the first time a serving Cabinet minister has called for the issue to be reformed within the Church. She also warned that if bishops failed to approve same-sex marriage, the issue would “fester”.
Next month, bishops will present their long-awaited findings to the General Synod – the Church’s legislative body – on whether the ban on gay marriage could be overturned.
Traditionalists hope bishops will veto any changes to the existing stance that church weddings should be for only opposite-sex couples and that sex among gay couples amounts to a sin.
More liberal members of the Church are calling for it to modernise and welcome gay members.
Gabriella Swerling
Mon, January 16, 2023
Penny Mordaunt - DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images
Penny Mordaunt has urged the Church of England to allow gay marriage ahead of an historic vote by bishops, marking the first intervention by a Cabinet minister on the issue.
Ms Mordaunt, the Leader of the Commons and MP for Portsmouth North, has written to the Bishop of Portsmouth, calling on him to “recognise the pain and trauma” that failure to recognise same-sex marriage causes to “many LGBT+ people who are left feeling that they are treated as second class citizens within our society”.
According to current canon law, no Church of England minister can bless or marry gay couples.
Ms Mordaunt’s interjection is the first time a serving Cabinet minister has called for the issue to be reformed within the Church. She also warned that if bishops failed to approve same-sex marriage, the issue would “fester”.
Next month, bishops will present their long-awaited findings to the General Synod – the Church’s legislative body – on whether the ban on gay marriage could be overturned.
Traditionalists hope bishops will veto any changes to the existing stance that church weddings should be for only opposite-sex couples and that sex among gay couples amounts to a sin.
More liberal members of the Church are calling for it to modernise and welcome gay members.
In a letter to the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Frost, on Sunday, Ms Mordaunt said she was writing “regarding discussions on how the Church will move forward on the issue of same-sex relationships. I hope they will back reform”.
The letter said: “I want all of my constituents and others to be able to have the right to have their relationships solemnised in their local parish in England.
“It is some time now since Parliament legislated for civil partnerships and then same-sex marriage. Since then, both the Episcopal Church in Scotland and the Church of Scotland have agreed to offer same-sex marriage, and the Church in Wales plans to do so soon.
“The issue has been under discussion within the Church of England for a long time. Whilst not a reason in itself, I fear that if it is not resolved at next month’s General Synod the matter will continue to fester and detract from the positive contribution the Church of England makes to our society.”
The Bishop of Portsmouth has not publicly commented in response.
In November, the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Steven Croft, became the most senior Church of England cleric to back same-sex marriage, breaking ranks with the Church’s current view.
After he spoke out about the “acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church”, a number of other serving bishops also spoke in support of gay marriage.
Responding to Ms Morduant’s letter, Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT+ campaigner and member of General Synod, said it was “something that all Church of England bishops must read”.
The letter said: “I want all of my constituents and others to be able to have the right to have their relationships solemnised in their local parish in England.
“It is some time now since Parliament legislated for civil partnerships and then same-sex marriage. Since then, both the Episcopal Church in Scotland and the Church of Scotland have agreed to offer same-sex marriage, and the Church in Wales plans to do so soon.
“The issue has been under discussion within the Church of England for a long time. Whilst not a reason in itself, I fear that if it is not resolved at next month’s General Synod the matter will continue to fester and detract from the positive contribution the Church of England makes to our society.”
The Bishop of Portsmouth has not publicly commented in response.
In November, the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Steven Croft, became the most senior Church of England cleric to back same-sex marriage, breaking ranks with the Church’s current view.
After he spoke out about the “acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church”, a number of other serving bishops also spoke in support of gay marriage.
Responding to Ms Morduant’s letter, Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT+ campaigner and member of General Synod, said it was “something that all Church of England bishops must read”.
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