It has been announced that homosexual priests in the Church of England may officially be allowed to take part in civil unions under new proposals drawn up by senior bishops, which was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
The decision has drawn hugely controversy among the Church, which is already strained to breaking point over the issue. Gay and lesbian clergy who wish to register their relationships under the new ‘Civil Partnership’ legislation will therefore not be in danger of losing their priest licences.
The new rights will allow homosexual couples to enjoy tax benefits and inheritance advantages that are given to other traditionally married couples.
However, one condition has been set for the clergy to retain their licences – they must give assurances to their diocesan bishop that they will abstain from sexual relations. This condition seems to be an attempt by bishops to uphold the Church doctrine of forbidding clergy from sex unless they are in a full marriage. Therefore, even though the decision has angered many, the Church has made an effort to distinguish same-sex blessings and traditional marriages.
The Church has said that the new law leaves them little choice but to accept the rights of gay clergy to have "civil partners".
The homosexuality issue has divided the Anglican Communion greatly over the past year, and this new development is likely to inflame the situation even more.
In June an international meeting will take place between senior bishops, which aims to reconcile and heal the split that has appeared between liberals and conservatives regarding homosexuality in the Church.
