Kamal Ghorui
The Church in Wales approved a bill on Wednesday (15 April) to make the blessing of same-sex marriages a permanent part of its services, after a strong majority backed the move.This means same-sex couples can continue to have their marriage or civil partnership blessed in church. The wording used for these ceremonies will now be officially included in the Book of Common Prayer, which guides how services are conducted.The decision was taken by the Church’s 143-member governing body. To pass, the proposal needed a two-thirds majority across three groups, bishops, clergy and lay members. Lay members voted 48 to eight in favour, with two abstentions. Clergy supported it by 32 votes to seven, with five abstentions. The bishops approved the measure without any objections.The blessing service was first introduced in 2021 as a temporary step, with a trial period set to run until the end of 2026. Church officials said the move to make it permanent came after several years of discussion and feedback from across the Church.Even with the change, individual priests will still be allowed to opt out if they do not wish to carry out such blessings.Those in favour said the decision was about making the Church more inclusive. The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, spoke about the harm caused when LGBT people feel rejected. He shared an example of a young man who had avoided speaking to his parents for years because he feared how they would react to his sexuality. “Please can we not be a church that inflicts such pain,” he said.The Bishop of Llandaff, Mary Stallard, also supported the move. She said someone close to her had struggled deeply because of attitudes towards their sexuality within the Church, describing it as a “culture of shame”. She added that allowing blessings in 2021 had been “something good and beautiful”.However, not everyone agreed with the change. Some members warned it could lead to divisions. Andy Grimwood, a deacon, said he feared the decision would not bring unity and could cause people to leave the Church.Rev Melanie Prince said she had spoken to members of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, who urged the Church not to move away from traditional teachings. Another member, Julia Schulz, said the blessing looked very similar to a marriage service and raised concerns about staying true to long-held beliefs.The move also highlights a difference between the Church in Wales and the Church of England, which does not currently offer such blessings. Some see this as a possible sign that further changes could follow in the future.The decision comes after Cherry Vann became Archbishop of Wales in July 2025, the first woman and first openly LGBT+ person to hold the role. She has said she wants the Church to better reflect the diversity of modern society.
