by Revd Neil Patterson and Professor Helen King, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Gender & Sexuality Group on General Synod
Throughout the slow and painful progress of debate about same-sex relationships in the Church of England, we have both often reflected on the parallels with the even longer battle for the ordination of women. In that struggle there were perhaps four decisive moments in General Synod:
1975 – Synod agrees that there is no theological objection, but declines to prepare legislation.
1978 – Synod again declines to prepare legislation, and Una Kroll cries from the gallery, ‘we asked for bread, but you gave us a stone!’
1985 – Legislation begins, but Archbishop Runcie abstains, and the Women Ordained Abroad Measure falls after being controversially designated Article 7 business, but women deacons are approved.
1992 – Final Approval for women priests.
The question we have asked ourselves is – in the aftermath of LLF, are we in some equivalent place on the timeline, and if so, where? For some in the Church of England, we haven’t yet reached 1975, as they raise theological objections based on Bible passages that are highly disputed in terms of both their translation and relevance. The Genesis story of a man and a woman (and a talking snake) has been made to bear more weight than this powerful story about human weakness was ever intended to carry. It has certainly often felt as if we are in 1978, with progress deadlocked, and the possibility of meaningful change endlessly thwarted. However, with the publication of the House of Bishops paper (GS2289 Living in Love and Faith: A response from the Bishops of the Church of England) it feels as if we may be close to 1985, and this is why.
Firstly, we are definitely not there yet. Whatever the merits or otherwise of the proposals tabled by the House of Bishops, we are both clear that the only logical and just conclusion of these debates is for marriage in church to be once again open to all couples who may marry in law, just as it was before the passage of the Same-Sex Marriage Act (with an honourable exception for the largely forgotten Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Act of 1907). That would be the equivalent of 1992 (or perhaps even 2014, when women bishops were finally agreed).
Second, we need to be realistic about this Synod, and the Church it represents. We are not of one mind, and that’s true even within the ‘progressive’ or the ‘conservative’ wing. We may hold the same view as someone else, but for a very different reason. That happened with women’s ordination too, as it united in opposition those who wanted union with Rome and those who found that prospect abhorrent. We believe that conservatives are currently overrepresented in Synod, but we know there are also lots of ‘unconverted’ people.
Synod is not a good place to be when the stakes are high. Expect to see a range of cards being played: emotion, personal stories of pain, standing orders being invoked and amendments tabled. We need our Archbishops to speak calm into the debating chamber.
As we say, there are definite parallels with now and 1985. We are held back by the technicalities of the Synod process, just as the Women Ordained Abroad Measure fell because it was designated Article 7 business, and so the required majorities were not reached. Just as Archbishop Runcie abstained on the women priests legislation, Archbishop Welby has declared that he will not actually use the new prayers for same-sex couples himself. It seems that the ability to nail one’s colours to the fence is an occupational requirement at Canterbury. But we do have proposals for definite change, and they are progress.
When the measure to permit women deacons was passed, there was some discussion of whether this would change our view of the diaconate, making it a distinctive role rather than a stepping stone to priesthood. Some women felt called to a permanent diaconate, and this role for both men and women remains, at least in some dioceses. Some members of Synod voting for women to be able to be ordained as deacons would not vote for women priests. Some resisted the measure entirely, and argued that women deacons were the ‘thin end of the wedge’, a back-door route to women as priests. Similarly, some in Synod will be comfortable with blessing same-sex committed relationships, but would not want to regard these as marriages, while others will be swayed by the thin end of the wedge argument.
What women deacons did was to show people that women could perform all aspects of ordained ministry; except celebrating Holy Communion. Deaconesses could not officiate at marriages: deacons could, and can. Seeing women for the first time in such roles represented the real change. When the Deacons (Ordination of Women) Measure came to the House of Commons in October 1986, the Second Church Estates Commissioner Sir William van Straubenzee observed that “The major function which deaconesses cannot perform at present and which differentiates them from the deacons is officiation at a marriage. I suspect that the famous man or woman in the pew would be hard-pressed to say what the difference in function is.” Deacons were also able to be appointed in charge of a parish and, where they were, their pastoral ministry often dissolved opposition.
We are aware that many are disappointed with the proposals, and may feel that Synod should reject them as we did the paper GS2055 in 2017. We disagree, as that would leave us no further forward than we were then, with no realistic prospect of moving again. We would have liked to see more boldness, particularly about future change towards marriage. The actual motion laid before Synod is rich in bromide and weak in action. But in spite of all that, it is substantially the step forward asked for by the Hereford Motion and Mae Christie’s PMM. And a strong vote in favour by Synod will strengthen the arms of those bishops determined to see revised guidelines in place which allow clergy to freely enter same-sex marriages.
But even more importantly, the new commended services will enable thousands of ordinary parishes, unsure how to respond to same-sex couples, to say, ‘No, we can’t marry you in law, but we can pray “Pour out the abundance of your grace upon N and N in their new life together.” Let’s start talking about hymns and music.’ And so across the country more and more Anglicans will see same-sex couples seeking God’s blessing on their love and commitment, and find that it is a beautiful and good thing in God’s sight.
Any thoughts?