CLERICS and religious leaders who support same-sex marriage met
the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in Westminster on
Wednesday.
Those who attended the meeting
included Canon Giles Fraser, Priest-in-Charge of St Mary's,
Newington; the Dean of St Albans, the Very Revd Dr Jeffrey John;
the Revd Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay
Christian Movement; and Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for the
Quakers.
Before the meeting, Mr Parker said
that the Government's proposals on same-sex marriage "allow civil
partnerships in Quaker meeting houses, but that is not a marriage;
it is a legal contract, not a spiritual one. That is why we are
seeking a change in the law so that same-sex marriages can be
celebrated within a couple's worshipping community. . . We don't
seek to impose this on anyone else. For Quakers this is an issue of
religious freedom."
Ms Cooper, who is also Shadow Minister
for Women and Equalities, responded last month to a submission from
senior church officials to the Government's same-sex marriage
consultation last month, (News, 15 June). She said: "Two people who
love each other and want to make a long-term commitment to each
other should be able to get married, whatever their gender or
sexuality.
"Whilst opposition from some church
leaders has been strong, just as it was against civil partnerships
seven years ago, other prominent church figures are supporting
same-sex marriage. We should not allow the debate to be polarised
on religious grounds, as there are many views within and between
different faiths."
Changing Attitude was scheduled to
meet the House of Bishops Working Group on Sexuality yesterday.
Last week, Changing Attitude asked supporters for suggestions about
what to say to the group, which it said would be communicated.
A petition that opposes the official
Church of England submission on same-sex marriage has attracted
nearly 4000 signatures. The organisers of the petition plan to
present it to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on Saturday,
during the meeting of the General Synod in York.