Anglican Church Approves Possibility of Marriage Blessing

The Anglican Church at their recent General Synod Te Hinota Whanui approved Motion 29 which opens the door slightly to recognising same-sex couples.

The ruling means same-sex couples still can’t get married in an Anglican church, but they can now get a post-wedding blessing. However, that’s only if the bishop and diocese allow it – they can refuse and will face no sanction.

Note the respective Pacific Island Countries (Samoa, Tonga Fiji) however were excluded from the motion recognize any union between the same gender;

Read the full story on Stuff.

Full motion below:

Motion 22

A Tikanga Pasefika Perspective on the Blessing of Same Gender Relationships

That this 63rd General Synod / te Hīnota Whānui 2018:

Deeply mindful of the deep interweaving of cultural and religious values at the core of our Pacific societies that place a profound respect, and reverence for the belief in God and the belief in the traditional understanding of marriage;

Noting the constitutions of the respective Pacific Island Countries (Samoa, Tonga Fiji) do not recognize any union between the same gender;

Receiving with deep appreciation the report of the Small Working Group and noting the proposed recommendations;

Recalling the outcomes of the talanoa on the report of Motion 29 in the Diocese of Polynesia and notably at the Diocesan Synod;

Celebrating the core values of the 3 Tikanga Church of mutual respect and common journey;

Noting that the discussion and positions on same gender relations have shifted quite significantly in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last 2 years;

Mindful of the respect for the positions of the respective Tikanga of the Church; and

Noting with appreciation the willingness of the Tikanga Polynesia not to be an obstacle in the journey of Tikanga Māori and Tikanga Pakeha towards the blessing of same gender relations in Aotearoa New Zealand;

Resolves to:

1. Accept the position of the Tikanga Pasefika against the principles of the report of the Small Working Group based on the above mentioned preambular clauses outlining the premises for the Tikanga Pasefika;

2. Note Tikanga Pasefika’s desire not to hinder the progression of the recommendations for the Tikanga Māori and Tikanga Pākehā;

3. Encourage Tikanga Pasefika to convene talanoa on this issue in its journey towards a greater understanding of the plight of minority groups in the Pacific region and to report back to General Synod of the outcomes of the talanoa series on this matter;

4. Promote greater partnership across Tikanga with a view to nurturing and deepening Tikanga relations on challenging issues faced by our societies.

The President moved from the Chair that the decision of Conference on Motion 22 be taken as the decision of Synod/Hīnota.