Anglican Church of Canada votes against same-sex unions

The resolution would have allowed clergy to officiate same-sex marriages “if it’s authorized by the diocesan bishop”.

The vote by General Synod 2016, which followed complaints of bullying and intimidation, sparked bitter disappointment among some members.

The United Reformed Church on July 9, Saturday voted to allow same-sex marriage in its churches, making it the first church in the U.K.to do so.

To pass, the resolution required two-thirds of each of three orders – lay, clergy and bishops – in last night’s vote. However, the clergy voted 66.23 percent, just missing the percentage needed.

The voting was conducted electronically, as delegates had requested it be a secret ballot.

A similar statement was issued by Bishop John Chapman, of the diocese of Ottawa. Some wept openly, others embraced.

René Boeré from Calgary said: “The creator made us male and female and marriage is the union of those two”.

Before the main vote, delegates voted to amend what would have been an opt-out clause for those opposed to same-sex marriage on principle to instead give bishops authority to allow such marriages in each diocese. This recognised that “this is a deeply emotive and potentially divisive issue” and “human sexuality and the language we use about it raises many complex questions, not least in the area of biblical interpretation”. “It’s not sufficient for us to simply say we dealt with the resolution”.

Mary Irwin-Gibson said Tuesday that she, personally, is ready to perform marriages for “all of her church’s members”.

“It was painful process, it was a hard process, but at the end of the day, we’ve ended up moving forward”, British Columbia Bishop Logan McMenamie said Tuesday.

“I am sick at heart, because an opportunity to discuss the Canon and engage with the Report of the Marriage Commission for the next three years was not endorsed by the Synod”, wrote Jane Alexander Bishop of Edmonton, whose sentiment seemed to sum up how rebellious dioceses felt after the vote was lost.

Archbishop Colin Johnson of Toronto cited his own decades of marriage in arguing for the motion.

Synod delegates did approve a motion affirming the sanctity of same-sex relationships – a position the church adopted in 2004.

About 1.6 million Canadians identify themselves as Anglican, according to Statistics Canada.