The Bishop of Leicester has told Premier that positions on same-sex relationships in the Church of England are “entrenched”, as its General Synod is told there will be further delay to Living in Love and Faith (LLF) guidance.
On Thursday, the denomination's parliament was given an update on the process to provide standalone services for the already approved blessings of same-sex relationships and alternative provisions for those who oppose it on theological grounds.
While the church does not permit same-sex marriages in 2023, introduced Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF), to bless the relationships of same-sex couples as part of regular Sunday services. Last July, it agreed in principle to hold standalone 'bespoke' services to bless same-sex relationships – but many churches do not feel they can do so in good conscience.
Pastoral guidance is being drafted to support these churches. It was originally planned to be presented at the July 2025 Synod - however, the House of Bishops have called for further theological analysis on the issue, meaning it will be delayed until the February 2026 Synod.
The discrepancy lies in whether a standalone blessing service would resemble a wedding of Holy Matrimony.
The Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Martyn Snow told Premier: “I think there are certain groups who don't want any change, who feel that actually what we're doing at the moment is is all that's needed. But very clearly, there are others who don't feel we're even going anywhere near far enough.”
Rt Rev Robert Innes, the Bishop in Europe, told the Synod that the church “disagrees on the level of disagreement we are having” which was met with exasperated laughter from the chamber.
By the time the new guidance is officially on the table, the Church of England will be under the leadership of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Bishop Martyn, the lead bishop on LLF, told Premier that the chosen Archbishop will have their work cut out for them to help the church reach a settlement.
“I don't think it will immediately change anything,” he said. “It’s likely to be one of the existing bishops who's already been part of the conversation.
“If they have very strong views on this one way or another, then yes, over time, I'm sure those views will start to influence the process. But as things stand at the moment, I think the positions within the church are really quite deeply entrenched, and therefore any new Archbishop will not be able to shift those positions quickly.”