News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Wedding-ring-ceremony-main_article_image.jpg
CC
UK News

Divorce not a barrier for 70 Church of England ordinands

Statistics obtained by The Times show 70 of the 569 ordinands approved in 2018 had either married while their former spouse was still alive - or they had tied the knot with a divorcee whose partner was still living.

Church rules hold that such cases must be decided on an individual basis by either the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of York.

The procedure does not apply to anyone who has chosen to stay single following a divorce or whose former spouse has passed away.

Vows of marriage by couples exchanged during Church of England weddings hold that their commitment is a life-long one.

But divorced people have been allowed to marry again in the Church "in certain circumstances" since 2002.

Those to do so include the Duchess of Sussex. Speaking before her wedding with Prince Harry last year, Most Rev Justin Welby said the Church had "dealt with" Meghan Markle's divorce.

Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Archbishop Justin added: "The Church of England has rules about how you deal with that and we've dealt with that.

"The Church of England has a very clear statement on the nature of when people who have been divorced who have a previously partner still living can get married and we went through that."

 

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate