Source: Reuters, London (Ont.) Free Press, Anglican Mainstream blog
OTTAWA -- A fourth diocese in the Anglican Church of Canada voted this week in favor of a cautiously-worded motion that could lead to blessing same-sex unions.
The annual synod, or governing convention, of the diocese voted on May 26 to ask the bishop to consider giving clergy permission to bless same-sex marriages.
The margin in favor was 72 per cent in both clergy and lay houses (97 clergy in favour, 36 against; 227 lay people in favor, 87 against), according to a report from Anglican Journal reprinted in Anglican Mainstream blog (but no longer available on the Journal site).
According to an unofficial diocese blog, its territory includes most of Southwestern Ontario, running from Tobermory to Pelee Island and from Windsor to Kitchener-Waterloo. The London-based diocese is about the sixth-largest Anglican diocese in Canada.
The motion, doesn't automatically recognize same-sex unions because the bishop is only required to "consider" whether to authorize clergy to bless couples.
Bishop Bruce Howe said he concurred with the motion but -- as in the case of three other Canadian dioceses -- he would consult with other bishops before acting on the vote, Reuters reports.
Speaking to media after the vote, Bishop Howe said he would likely not announce his decision before the fall.
Before the vote, diocese spokesperson Rev. Keith Nethery told London (Ont.) Free Press that the measure is not "a motion that would open the door to blessing of any same-gender relationship."
The motion is a conditional one, similar to those already approved in the Montreal, Ottawa and Niagara areas, Nethery said.
The motion asks the presiding bishop to consider authorizing those clergy and congregations that are comfortable with the idea to bless a union of two people of the same gender who've already legally married in a civil ceremony and where at least one of the partners is baptized, according to the Free Press report.
Such a post-marriage blessing reflects the church's caution in taking a next step in a debate that has gone on for 30 years, Nethery said.
"The church worldwide is a family and we see this as a family issue and not everyone is on the same page," he said.
In Montreal, Ottawa and Niagara, bishops there have taken affirmative votes from their dioceses under advisement, Nethery said.
Gay marriage is legal in Canada but the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of the United States have run afoul of the broader worldwide Anglican communion for either allowing same-sex blessings by the church or, in the case of Episcopals, ordaining a gay bishop.
Full article: New Canadian Anglican diocese backs gay blessings | Reuters
Anglicans tackle gay unions | London Free Press
Canada: Huron says yes to same-sex blessings | Anglican Mainstream blog