remarriage
I know that there are strong feelings on both sides of this debate but I really don’t see why we can’t resolve it by adopting the same sort of policy that we have with regard to remarriage of divorcees i.e. those who want to do it, can and no-one can stop them; those that don’t, don’t have to and no-one can make them!
I fully support the introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith and would vote in favour of allowing Church of England clergy to conduct same-sex marriages if they wished to do so, while leaving clergy free not to do so if that is their conviction- much as we do at the moment with the remarriage of divorced people.
Some of us will remember the older debates on the ordination of women and remarriage of divorcees which all now seem old, historic and, with hindsight, rather tame – but at the time, for those of us living those debates they could be as vicious as the current
A change in circumstances (remarriage and redundancy) led to the opportunity to move back north and I have been in Barnard Castle for almost 20 years.
The Church of England has changed its position on divorce and remarriage, although these changes continue not to be received by everyone.
The pragmatic path adopted around the remarriage of divorced people offers a template around respecting conscience without falling into the incoherence that
Some examples: 1980 and 2000, the introduction of new, alternative, liturgies 1981, permission granted for remarriage of divorcees in church 1994, the ordination of the first women priests, followed in 2015 by the consecration of women bishops 2010, Clergy freehold replaced by Common Tenure bringing ‘professionalisation’ to Parochial ministry: annual reviews, disciplinary procedures, and codes of conduct.
I was a vocal member at General Synod: I advocated for greater administrative support for local parishes to free up priests for mission; I spoke in favour of the House of Bishops speaking with a diverse voice; and, I highlighted the ways in which a discussion about remarriage after divorce was handled so differently from the discussions around same-sex marriage.