Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has signalled that the Church of England will no longer resist gay marriage, a topic that deeply divides the Anglican Church around the world.
Speaking to the Guardian, the Archbishop said:
“I think the church has reacted by fully accepting that it’s the law, and should react on Saturday by continuing to demonstrate in word and action, the love of Christ for every human being.”
This Saturday (29th March) marks the start of the first gay marriages in the UK.
There are many gay clergy in the UK that want to now marry their same-sex partners, given the change in law. Archbishop Welby’s tone comes in stark contrast to a letter sent by bishops last month, that attempted to block this from happening.
This resulted in a huge backlash from supporters.
However, the Archbishop’s words of late signal a general softening in the Church’s approach to gay people.
Last year, the Archbishop expressed his “sadness and sorrow [that] it is also absolutely true the church has not always served the LGBT communities as it should.”
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