The Church in Wales approves a bill to bless same-sex marriage/Photo: Getty Images
The Church in Wales approved a bill on Wednesday (April 15) to make the blessing of same-sex marriage a permanent part of its services, after a large majority backed the move.This means that same-sex couples can continue to have their marriage or civil partnership blessed in the Church.
The wording used in these celebrations will now be officially included in the Book of Common Prayer, which guides how services are conducted.The decision was made by the church’s 143-member governing body. For the proposal to pass, it needed a two-thirds majority across three groups: bishops, clergy and lay members. The lay members voted by 48 votes to eight, with two abstentions. The clergy supported it by 32 votes to seven, with five abstentions.
The bishops approved this measure without any objection.The blessing service was first offered in 2021 as an interim step, with a trial period scheduled to last until the end of 2026. The move to make it permanent came after several years of discussions and feedback from across the church, church officials said.Even with this change, individual priests will still be allowed to opt out if they do not wish to perform such blessings.
Supporters said the decision is about making the church more inclusive. Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, spoke about the damage that occurs when LGBT people feel rejected. He gave the example of a young man who avoided talking to his parents for years because he feared their reaction to his sexuality. “Please, we cannot be a church that causes such pain,” he said.The Bishop of Llandaff, Mary Stallard, also supported the move.
She said that someone close to her had suffered greatly because of attitudes towards their sexuality within the church, describing it as a “culture of shame”. She added that allowing blessings in 2021 was “a good and beautiful thing.”However, not everyone agreed with the change. Some members warned that this could lead to divisions. Andy Grimwood, a deacon, said he feared the decision would not bring unity and could push people to leave the church.The Rev. Melanie Prince said she spoke to members of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, who urged the church not to stray from traditional teachings. Another member, Julia Schultz, said the blessing was too similar to a marriage ceremony and raised concerns about adhering to deeply held beliefs.The move also highlights the difference between the Church in Wales and the Church of England, which does not currently offer such blessings. Some see this as a potential sign that more changes may be coming.This decision comes after Sherri Vane became Archbishop of Wales in July 2025, the first woman and the first openly LGBT person to hold this position. She said she wanted the church to better reflect the diversity of modern society.
