Scottish church becomes first in UK to allow gay marriages
June 09, 2017 00:18
The Scottish Episcopal Church became the first Anglican church in the UK to allow same-sex couples to be married in church.
The General Synod of the church voted that a change to its Canon law governing marriage should be sent for discussion to the church's seven dioceses.
A further vote will take place at next year's synod.
It means that gay Christians from any Anglican Church can now ask to be married in a Scottish Episcopal Church.
The proposal would remove the doctrinal clause which states that marriage is between a man and a woman and there would be a "conscience clause" for those who would not want to conduct a same-sex marriage.
Same sex marriage has been legal in Scotland since 2014 but most churches deny conducting such ceremonies.
The synod vote today received support from five of seven bishops and 69 per cent of the clergy -- indicating that it has a good chance of succeeding when it returns next year.
If passed, it would mean Scottish Episcopals would become the first major church in the UK to marry gay and lesbian couples in church.
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