Anglican Church of Canada Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Approvals in Vote

'There's a lot of grief right now among the delegates,'

says church's communication director

Maryse Zeidler · CBC News 

Some delegates were visibly upset when the motion to change the Anglican Church of Canada's

marriage canon wasn't passed on Friday night. (Anglican Church of Canada)

An Anglican Church of Canada vote to approve same-sex marriage failed to pass at its general assembly in Vancouver on Friday night. 

The motion would have amended the church's marriage canon to remove references to the sacrament being a union between a man and a woman — effectively allowing same-sex marriage.

The motion had to be approved through two rounds of votes. The first vote took place three years ago at the church's last general assembly, called a synod, in Richmond Hill, Ont., and the second reading was held late Friday evening.

Church rules require motions to be passed by a two-thirds majority from its three groups of delegates: the laity, clergy and bishops. On Friday, the requirement for the motion did not meet the threshold among the bishops.

Lay voters and members of the clergy were more than two-thirds in favour of the motion.

Meghan Kilty, the church's director of communications, says the vote has prompted strong reactions from many members and clergy.

"There's a lot of grief right now among the delegates," she said over the phone Saturday morning.

Kilty says many dioceses have been performing same-sex marriages since the 2016 vote. For example, she says, Toronto bishop Kevin Robertson was married to his husband in 2018 at St. James Cathedral. 

An Anglican Church of Canada vote on Friday night failed to pass a motion that would effectively

allow same-sex marriage. (Anglican Church of Canada)

Many intend to continue performing same-sex marriages, Kilty says, as there is still debate as to whether the church specifically prohibits it or not.

The church did pass a resolution to recognize that each diocese may respond to the issue of same-sex marriage in a way that best suits its theological understanding and practice.

Kilty says she expects the matter will continue to be debated throughout the synod, which lasts until Tuesday. 

Many of the church's dioceses have posted messages on social media acknowledging how devastating the results of the vote were to many of its members. 

But there seems to be little concern about how God would react except among the bishops.

Unfortunately, this story doesn't make clear whether the motion can be revived in the next synod, or whether they have to start over and win two consecutive votes.

The issue of gay rights and same sex marriage has divided the Anglican church around the world.

Also on Friday, the leader of the Anglican Church of Canada apologized for its "cultural and spiritual arrogance" that caused harm to Indigenous Peoples. 

Anglicans to Allow Same-Sex Marriage After Vote Recount

A voting error was discovered after the resolution

was narrowly rejected on Monday night

The Anglican Church of Canada will allow same-sex marriages, reversing a decision made Monday night after a voting error was discovered. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket/Getty Images)

By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press

Questions about the integrity of the voting process in which Anglicans narrowly rejected a resolution to allow same-sex marriage emerged Tuesday, and led to a stunning reversal of the result.

Some members stood up to say their votes had not been recorded during voting late Monday, when passage of the resolution failed by a single vote.

"That is an issue of concern," said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the church. "We cannot leave this synod with this kind of confusion."

To pass, the resolution required two-thirds of each of three orders — lay, clergy and bishops. The clergy failed to reach that threshold by one vote that was apparently not counted because it was counted in the lay order.

The error was discovered after delegates requested a detailed hard copy of the electronic voting records.

Hiltz then declared the resolution in favour of same-sex marriage had passed.

"That is our reality," Hiltz told stunned delegates. "That the motion is in fact carried in all three orders."

Britain needed people like this to fix Brexit!

"Same-sex marriage. In the church. In my lifetime," tweeted Lauren Bryant-Monk, of Halifax. "I'm so proud to be Anglican today."

The resolution still needs affirmation by the next synod in 2019 before it becomes church law.

On Tuesday, several bishops said they planned to go ahead with same-sex marriages regardless. They leaned on a statement from the chancellor of the general synod, who said the current marriage canon does not specifically ban solemnizing same-sex marriages.

Bishop John Chapman of Ottawa said he would proceed immediately with such unions in his diocese, although no one would be forced to officiate at such a ceremony.

"It is time my friends," Chapman said. "It is past time."

"Take heart," said Rev. Melissa Skelton, bishop of New Westminster, B.C. "This is not over."

It was indeed not over as questions swirled Tuesday about the vote itself. And then the recount changed the church's position.

"This is the best news I have heard in a long time!" tweeted Marlene Wells, from Nova Scotia. "My weepy day has ended; let's celebrate."

"I'm flabbergasted, honestly," said Eliot Waddingham, 24, a transgender person from Ottawa, who had earlier spoken of being brokenhearted by the initial vote. "I can't believe this."

'Deep differences'

Not everyone, however, was pleased.

Northern representatives complained about feeling bullied, while Larry Robertson, Yukon bishop, left the floor earlier Tuesday in protest, saying he was angered at what he called the adversarial process.

Hiltz acknowledged the "deep differences" that exist around the issue.

"We sometimes find ourselves very much being pulled apart," he told delegates on Tuesday. "Our work on this matter is not done. It's not sufficient for us to simply say we dealt with the resolution."

He promised a pastoral letter in response by Thursday.

While some fretted the issue would cause a rupture and spark an exodus of members, others said they believed the church would hold together despite the bruising nature of the debate in which some used terms such as "abomination" in reference to the LGBT community.

"It was painful process, it was a difficult process, but at the end of the day, we've ended up moving forward," British Columbia Bishop Logan McMenamie said.

Toronto Archbishop Colin Johnson called same-sex marriages — at the discretion of the bishop and with agreement of local clergy — a logical step in the evolution of the church.

More like a logical step in the devolution of the church. Another nail in the Anglican coffin. Do these people even know God? Have they actually read the Bible? They certainly must be devoid of the Holy Spirit without which you are not a Christian in the eyes of God.

About 1.6 million Canadians identify themselves as Anglican, according to Statistics Canada, and church figures indicate more than 500,000 of them are part of about 2,800 congregations across the country.