The Church of England’s governing body has voted to back special services to bless same-sex couples on a trial basis.
On Wednesday evening, Nov. 15, the Church’s governing body narrowly voted in favour of blessing same sex couples.
Following years of debate, Wednesday’s vote agreed that the trial services should “be introduced soon” the Church of England said, without specifying a date.
Bishops still have to give final clearance to the prayers in the services, which are trials and not final, settled church policy.
Welby, also leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, said he recognized that divisions remained.
“I abstained … because my pastoral responsibility extends to everyone in the Church of England and global Anglican Communion,” he said in a statement published on Thursday, Nov. 16.
A conservative group of Anglican church leaders in Uganda, Rwanda, Brazil and other countries declared in April that it no longer had confidence in Welby over his stance on same-sex unions.
The vote, which came after nine hours of debate among bishops, clergy and laity that make up the General Synod, agreed the trial standalone services would be based around texts known as “Prayers of Love and Faith”.
Those were a collection of prayers, readings and other resources for a same-sex couple “who love one another and who wish to give thanks for and mark that love in faith before God,” the church said.