Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has revealed he has been threatened with parliamentary action over the issue of same-sex marriage in the Church of England. Speaking at the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Ghana, the Archbishop claimed to have been summoned twice to parliament and told he faced being forced to accept equal marriage. This followed changes to the church’s legislation allowing the blessing of same-sex couples in civil partnerships. However, the church’s position on gay marriage will remain unchanged.
The Telegraph has reported that Welby met with MPs in the House of Commons last month to object to further changes in this area. Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, a campaigner on LGBT+ issues, described a meeting she had with the archbishop in January as “very disappointing”. Despite not being a member of the church, she felt the impact of the message sent out by the bishops was having repercussions far beyond the Church.
In his presidential address, delivered on Sunday, the archbishop claimed that many members of the church’s General Synod had dismissed his concerns about recent reforms. He also said that rules about sexuality in the Church of England were to be discussed as a result of growing atheism in the UK. Christian values of “community and mutual responsibility” have been “almost eliminated” in favour of individualism, Welby said.
