Church of England removes clause from clergy selection saying homosexuality is ‘dishonourable’
The Church of England has removed a clause on documentation regarding homosexuality. (Getty Images)
The Church of England has removed a clause on documentation regarding homosexuality. (Getty Images)
The Church of England (C of E) voted to remove a clause from its clergy selection document which states that homosexuality is “dishonourable”.
The governing body for the Christian church voted on Tuesday (15 July) to eliminate a clause from a 1991 document on homosexuality, marking a step towards making the Anglican faith more LGBTQ+-inclusive.
It required those who wish to become a member of the clergy to agree to the document, “Issues in Human Sexuality”, which stated that “homosexual practice [is] especially dishonourable” and urged LGBTQ+ Christians to abstain from sex.
The vote to change its vocational process was passed overwhelmingly during a meeting of the General Synod, which includes bishops, clergy and laity, as per the C of E.
The church, which represented a worshipping community of 984,000 in 2022, as per Church of England data, said that the vote was independent of its ongoing “Living in Love and Faith” process, which explores sexuality and marriage. It also does not change the Church’s doctrine, the C of E said.
The document was initially intended as a teaching resource, but became more definitive in laying out expected conduct within the Church’s vocations and discernment process.
Within its 48 pages, the document states that “homophile orientation and its expression in sexual activity do not constitute a parallel and alternative form of human sexuality as complete within the terms of the created order as the heterosexual”.
A statement from the C of E now says: “A paper introducing the item to Synod members noted that the tone, language, and some of the assumptions in ‘Issues’ are now contextually inappropriate, and appear prejudicial and offensive to many people.”
Charles Bączyk-Bell, an out gay Anglican priest in London, said the document was outdated when it was first published, and was used to screen people out of becoming ordained.
“Now it has gone… it opens the way for liberalisation of the church’s policy on same sex relationships and means we can stop using it as a kind of reference text,” Bączyk-Bell told Reuters.
In 2023, the church’s legislative body approved blessings for same-sex couples. Last year, it then followed this up by approving proposals to allow gay clergy to marry.
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