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Church of Sweden split
over gay marriage
25 Oct 2007 - Sweden-
The Church of Sweden's governing body voted on Thursday in to retain the right
to carry out legally binding weddings. When all the votes were counted, 161
delegates had accepted the proposal, with 74 against.
The issue has risen to the top of the church agenda following a recent
government report recommending the introduction of a new gender-neutral marriage
law.
If parliament pushes through
the bill, as seems increasingly likely, the church will be forced to either
lawfully wed homosexual couples or abstain completely from the legal element of
the marriage ceremony.
With this prospect in mind, the church's liturgical committee decided to look
into the matter more closely. Having weighed up the pros and cons, the committee
eventually recommended the Church of Sweden to continue performing legal
weddings.
But there is strong opposition to the move within the church, with two
representatives tabling motions calling for the church to consider abandoning
the legal element of the wedding ceremony. Instead couples would be legally wed
in a civil ceremony before later going to the church, mosque or synagogue to
receive God's blessing.
Archbishop Anders Wejryd said he expects the issue to resurface if there is a
change in the law.
"Those who voted did so on the basis of current legislation. If the law changes,
the issue will return," he said. But the Archbishop added that he was not unduly
worried by the prevailing differences of opinion.
"I think the type of discussion we have had contributes to our cohesiveness. It
has been an honest discussion that shows our great willingness to live together
within the church. So it doesn't worry me.
"I am not of the opinion that everybody in the church should agree with each
other. We have to be mature enough to live with a variety of opinions," said
Wejryd.
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