The Church of England has formally dropped proposals to introduce stand-alone blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in its churches, bringing a years-long and costly process to an abrupt end.
At this week’s General Synod, members voted to continue discussing the issue in the future. However, bishops had already concluded there were theological and legal barriers preventing such ceremonies from being implemented now.
The decision follows more than a decade of internal debate and comes after an estimated £1.6 million was spent exploring how blessing services could operate.
A Process Years in the Making
In early 2023, after ten years of fraught discussion, the Church of England decided it would not support same-sex marriage — unlike other Anglican churches, including the Scottish Episcopal Church, which permits same-sex weddings.
Instead, the Church proposed offering stand-alone blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples, a compromise endorsed by Synod at the time. A formal process was then established to determine how those services might be structured.
That process has now been shelved.
Although stand-alone ceremonies are off the table, prayers of blessing for same-sex couples remain permitted within regular Sunday services — a change introduced in 2023.
Emotional Testimony and Deep Divisions
Debate at Synod was marked by emotional interventions from LGBTQ+ members and clergy, alongside expressions of concern from conservative representatives.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell acknowledged widespread disappointment.
“This is not where I want us to be, nor where I hoped we would be three years ago. And I want to acknowledge that wherever you stand on the debate, I know that many of you are feeling angry and disappointed.”
The Reverend Charlie Bączyk-Bell, a gay priest and Synod member, described the outcome as devastating.
“You have broken my heart. I cannot believe that we are here again, after all this time, with only this to offer,” he said.
Dr Bączyk-Bell criticised the process as a “facetious charade” and rejected suggestions that the pain experienced by LGBTQ+ Christians and traditionalists was equivalent.
“It is not the same to have your entire self debated, ripped apart, dissected, insulted, trampled on in this chamber and more widely as though it were a mere abstract question,” he said.
Through tears, he apologised to LGBTQ+ members of the Church “for what we continue to put you through” and “that we cannot celebrate you the way we should”.
Conservatives Also Voice Concern
Conservative groups have long opposed same-sex blessings, with the Church of England Evangelical Council previously stating that such blessings are “contrary to the teaching of the Bible”.
Simon Clift, a lay Synod member from Winchester, said:
“Those like me, who hold to the historic teaching, also feel that pain, and all groups need to be recognised.”
Busola Sodeinde, a Synod member from London, added that Anglicans in the “Global South” felt “wounded” and insufficiently consulted.
“To refer to them as ‘homophobic’ as some have, when they believe that they are seeking to remain faithful to God’s word is not only unhelpful, it is gravely unjust,” she said.
Wider Anglican Context
While the Church of England’s decisions do not directly bind other Anglican provinces, the issue has strained relationships within the global Anglican Communion. Some churches have threatened to break away over the question of same-sex unions.
Elsewhere, the Episcopal Church in Scotland approved marriage equality in 2017, and the Anglican Church in Wales authorises blessing services for same-sex couples, though it does not conduct same-sex weddings.
‘Wounded as Individuals and as a Church’
Synod ultimately agreed to establish a working group to continue discussions. However, many LGBTQ+ members warned that the collapse of the blessing proposals could accelerate departures from the Church.
The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, acknowledged the depth of division.
“It has touched some of our deepest theological views but also the core part of our identity. It has left us wounded as individuals and also as a Church and therefore I am grateful that you still are here.”
For now, the Church of England remains at an impasse — with formal same-sex blessings shelved, marriage equality ruled out, and a debate that shows no sign of disappearing.
