Anglican Bishops Veto Sydney Archbishop’s Anti-Gay Marriage Motion
Anglican Bishops in Australia have voted down a statement against gay marriages that sought to affirm the “traditional view” of marriage as only between a man and a woman. The statement, introduced by the conservative Sydney Diocese and its Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, said that solemnising same-sex marriages was “contrary to the teaching of Christ and the faith, ritual, ceremonial and/or discipline of this Church.”At the 18th General Synod of the Anglican Church held earlier this week, the statement found overwhelming support among the laity and the priests. The statement passed in the House of Laity (63-47) and in the House of Clergy (70-39), but was blocked by the Anglican Bishops.