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CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS AS THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SEES IT
A Number of Frequently asked Questions.
Q. So if sex outside marriage is wrong, will the Church of England ban its members from entering into civil partnerships?
A. No. The bishops argue that since the Act does not actually require sexual intercourse for a partnership to be valid, it is technically possible for church members to enter into such a partnership and yet still remain celibate (para 11).
Q. How can the bishops be sure that people in civil partnerships will remain celibate?
A. They can't. What is more, the bishops say they normally shouldn't even be asked whether this is the case: The House considers that lay people who have registered civil partnerships ought not to be asked to give assurances about the nature of their relationship before being admitted to baptism, confirmation and communion. (para 23)
Q. So might we have a vicar and his or her partner in the vicarage?
A. Yes. But in the case of clergy, the bishops have said they will seek assurances that the relationship is celibate (paras 19, 21).
Q. Why is there a different standard for clergy and for laity?
A. The bishops consider that clergy must uphold the teaching of the church. However, they also consider that anyone may legitimately disagree with the church's teaching (para 23) and that in the case of the laity, 'the conscientious decision of those who enter into homophile relationships must be respected' (para 6).
Q. So is the teaching of the Bible not clear?
A. The bishops believe It is clear. There has, of course, been a great deal of debate on this topic. However, after examining the evidence, the House of Bishops has concluded that the Bible teaches what it has always been held to teach: ...it is difficult to see that an appeal to the revisionist interpretation of the passages in question provides an adequate basis for a Church that takes the scholarly reading of Scripture seriously to alter either its traditional teaching about homosexuality or its traditional practice, however much it might seem desirable to do so on the basis of the pastoral considerations noted earlier. ( Some Issues in Human Sexuality , 2003, 4.4.35)
Q. Doesn't this mean that the House of Bishops is being inconsistent?
A. It is hard to disagree with that!
Q. But shouldn't we still go along with what the bishops suggest?
A. The problem is that the bishops' Statement puts the Church of England at odds with much of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It also seems to impose an unlawful requirement on those clergy who want to abide by the church's teaching in their own ministry.
Q. How does this affect the rest of the Anglican Communion?
A. In 1998, all the Anglican bishops gathered in London for the Lambeth Conference. In their resolution on Human Sexuality, they advised against 'the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions' and 'ordaining those involved in same gender unions' (Resolution 1.10.e). Unfortunately, the bishops' Statement clearly legitimises such unions and undertakes to ordain people involved in them, thereby contravening a resolution the bishops have said they will uphold. This has created major difficulties in many parts of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Akinola of Nigeria, whose Province is the biggest outside the UK, has written of his 'utter dismay' at the Statement, calling on the House of Bishops to renounce it.
Q. How does it affect the ministry of our own clergy?
A. The Statement says that laypeople in civil partnerships 'ought not' to be asked about the nature of their relationship before admission to the Sacraments. However, the bishops agree that same-sex activity is against the teaching of the Bible, and the Articles of the Church of England say that it is 'not lawful' for the church to ordain anything contrary to Scripture (Article XX). The bishops therefore seem to be imposing an unlawful demand on their clergy.
Q. If a Christian is in a civil partnership, shouldn't we just assume it is celibate?
A. Unfortunately, the bishop's Statement itself assumes it may not be celibate! On the contrary, they say that 'the ambiguities surrounding the character and public nature of civil partnerships' create 'perceptions and assumptions which...inevitably accompany a decision to register such a relationship' (para 22). In other words, the nature of a civil partnership means that there will always be grounds for questioning whether it is celibate.
Q. But don't the bishops have to go along with the law of the land?
A. Apparently they could have chosen a different route. Jonathan Neil-Smith, the Secretary to the House of Bishops, wrote in a recent letter, In relation to the church's room for manoeuvre in relation to the law [...] there will no doubt be denominations or faith groups who will regard being in a civil partnership as intrinsically incompatible with membership of their ordained ministries. That is the position of the Roman Catholic Church. The law does not preclude that approach where the prohibition is based on doctrine or religious conviction.
Q. Isn't the Civil Partnership Act righting an injustice?
A. Some would argue that. However, you can only take advantage of its provisions by entering into a relationship which most faithful Christians will not do.
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