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Following a vote by show of hands, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) has rejected a proposal to allow bishops to approve the giving of blessings to same-sex couples in parishes which welcome the ministry.
In a statement on Thursday, the church said the provincial synod rejected the proposal and also voted against approving a set of prayers drawn up by bishops for providing pastoral ministry to members in civil unions.
A synod is a local or provincial assembly of bishops and other church officials meeting to resolve questions of discipline or administration.
The church said that the synod voted down the proposals by show of hands following a debate on Thursday.
It was proposed by Right Reverend Raphael Hess, Bishop of Saldanha Bay, and seconded by the Right Reverend Stephen Diseko, Dean of the Province and Bishop of Matlosane.
The set of prayers drawn up for debate was appealed by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, who encouraged their consideration.
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“In order to provide ministry for all our people, we must engage this challenge, and I urge you to deliberate on it in your parishes and diocese,” Makgoba wrote in a letter in April 2024.
“Many of our young people have already moved on from the debate, finding it difficult to understand why we can bless their dogs, cats, and guinea pigs in serves commemorating St Francis of Assisi but not their LGBTQI friends in committed relationships.”
The recent decision by the Church of England and Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church to allow blessings for same-sex couples also added to the youth’s questions and confusion, Makgoba said in the letter.
In December 2023, Pope Francis said priests should be allowed to bless same-sex and “irregular” couples under certain circumstances. The Vatican said the blessings should not be part of regular church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings.
The issue of same-sex marriages has been a debated for more than 10 years.
Even the late Anglican bishop emeritus Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth, wasn’t allowed to continue work as a priest by ACSA after she married a woman.
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