House of Lords vote to lift the ban on same sex marriages in church
Gay marriages could take place in church if the House of Commons approves the move
Gay campaigners have been celebrating this week as the House of Lords voted to lift the ban on same sex marriage unions taking place in church. The move was passed by 95 votes to 21 equating to a majority of 74.
The decision to allow gay marriages on religious premises was even backed by Church of England bishops, although the Pope is expected to oppose the change.
Before the amendment can be officially made to the Equality Bill, the House of Commons must also approve the lifting of the ban.
The change to the Equality Bill will enable religious premises to conduct civil partnership ceremonies, however each clergy member has the right to refuse to perform a ceremony, meaning the they are not compelled to carry out a union if they feel strongly against it.
At present it is illegal in the UK to conduct a civil partnership ceremony in a place of religious worship, however some churches have been willing to bless the union of same sex couples once the ceremony has taken place elsewhere.
The lifting of the ban must first go through the House of Commons and with a general election on the horizon, experts say it could be months before the change is assessed by the government.
Peter has a dual role at Wedding News as he works in conjunction with all of our writers helping them to collect date, facts, and interviews for their articles, as well as reporting for his own work. He is a trainee writer and is learning the ropes along side our experienced reporters.
