Gay couples to be allowed to 'wed' in churches by the end of the year Churches will be allowed to stage civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples, the Equalities Minister said yesterday.
Lynne Featherstone promised that by the end of the year vicars will be able to apply to have their churches approved for partnership ceremonies, which are currently only allowed to be secular.
But the Church of England said it had no intention of opening its own churches for same-sex couples to register or bless their partnerships.
Christian critics, however, said reluctant churches would be pressured or driven by the courts to offer civil partnerships despite assurances from ministers that no church will be forced to accept them. Miss Featherstone said the reforms to civil partnership law were part of the Coalition’s drive for gay equality and to guarantee freedom of religion for everyone.
In a written statement, she said: ‘The Government is committed to removing the legal barrier to civil partnerships being registered on the religious premises of those faith groups who choose to allow this to happen.’
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