Senior Church of England Bishop Rebukes Civil Partnership Policy
One of the most senior bishops in the Church of England has issued strong condemnation of the House of Bishops’ statement on Civil Partnerships, calling it ''unbiblical.''
LONDON – One of the most senior bishops in the Church of England has issued strong condemnation of the House of Bishops’ statement on Civil Partnerships, calling it “unbiblical.”
In a letter written to clergy in his diocese, the Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, criticized his fellow bishops for failing to consult with the wider Church before issuing their statement, which allows clergy to enter into civil partnerships if they first assure their bishop they will abstain from sex.
The policy was presented as the unanimously agreed position of the House of Bishops last year, but both conservatives and liberals privately expressed their misgivings.
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Nazir-Ali predicted the statement would be a "recipe for confusion."
In the letter, the bishop rebuked the statement for undermining traditional teaching on marriage in a letter, according to The Church of England Newspaper.
“I fear that the change in church law will have the effect of undermining that very teaching on marriage which the bishops are wishing to uphold and that it introduces another category of ‘partner’ covertly without any public or synodical discussion,” he said.
Nazir-Ali expressed concern for the way in which the statement will “severely test the Church’s discipline and stretch pastoral relationships to the breaking point.”
The bishop continued his attack on the Church of England’s leadership of the civil partnership controversy, criticizing the permission it gave to the Government to change church legislation by order, so that the term “civil partner” was automatically added wherever the term “spouse” appeared.
Nazir-Ali argued that the legislation was not needed on the grounds that the ambiguity of the Civil Partnerships Bill is not consistent with core Christian teaching on marriage and would be unacceptable to a substantial number of its members.
He warned that the statement compromised pastoral discipline at the local level and pre-empted the relevant canons in the context of preparation for baptism and confirmation, as well as for the purposes of receiving Holy Communion.
The Bishop of Rochester added: "The statement has given bishops the task of ensuring that clergy who enter into these partnerships adhere to church teaching in the area of sexuality without giving the bishops the clear means to do so,” reported The Church of England Newspaper.
“I dare to hope that bishops will find better ways of relating to such couples than seeking assurances, and I believe many of us will. If our difficulty as Church with particular life-choices means that we cannot speak hopefully about what are clearly signs of commitment and responsibility, perhaps it would have been better to say nothing,” he said.
The attack by the Bishop of Rochester is likely to liven up the debate on gay civil partnerships within the Church once again.
