London, England, May 31, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Church of England has drafted a new proposal that will allow homosexual priests to marry their partners, but they must abstain from sexual relations. The proposal was drawn up by senior bishops, led by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The bishops’ proposal follows the legalization of same-sex unions in Britain, effective Dec. 5. The bishops felt the new law left them little choice but to accept the right of homosexual clergy to have civil partners.
The new law gives same-sex couples many of the same tax and inheritance advantages of married couples.
The bishops’ proposal is likely to reopen the rift over homosexuality that has split the worldwide Anglican Communion. The effects of this decision on the newly reopened dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans is also yet unknown.