The Archbishop of Canterbury has “joyfully” welcomed proposals to bless same-sex married couples but said he will not personally carry them out due to his “pastoral responsibility for the whole communion”. Justin Welby spoke as the Church of England issued a formal apology for its historic rejection and exclusion of LGBTQI+ people.
Plans to allow such blessings for the first time were outlined earlier this week, but the position on gay marriage will not change and same-sex couples will still be unable to marry at church. The blessings have been welcomed by some as progress on what is a divisive issue but others have said they do not go far enough.
Mr Welby said while he is “extremely joyfully celebratory” of the proposals, he will not offer them in his role as the highest-ranking religious leader of a church which has varying views on the subject.
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