Diocese of New Westminster will ignore Marriage Canon vote

Bishop Melissa Skelton has announced that the diocese will proceed with same-sex marriages.

Up until now, the diocese did not permit the marriage of same sex-couples because it was waiting for the result of the 2019 Synod vote. Now the synod has voted “no” to same-sex marriage, the diocese is proceeding anyway. That is what passes for rational thinking in the Anglican Church of Canada.

As far as I know, these are the dioceses that will marry same-sex couples:

Diocese of New Westminster
Diocese of Toronto
Diocese of Niagara
Diocese of Montreal
Diocese of Ottawa
Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Diocese of Rupert’s Land
Diocese of Kootenay
Diocese of Edmonton
Diocese of B.C.
Diocese of Huron
Please let me know if I have missed one.

From here:

As of August 1, 2019 , I will authorize a liturgy for the marriage of same-sex couples within the Diocese of New Westminster under the following conditions:

  • that the priest wishing to officiate at the marriage make a request of me to use that liturgy and work in consultation with me in preparing to conduct that liturgy. I specify this in that I want us all to learn together as we gain experience in working with this new liturgy and in preparing same-sex couples for the sacrament of marriage.
  • that the Parish Council of any church hosting or wanting to host the marriage of same-sex couples concur with and embrace the decision for same-sex marriages to occur there, and
  • that any same-sex couple wishing to be married satisfy all the typical and important requirements for marriage (proper preparation for marriage, at least one of the couple having been baptized, that the marriage take place in a church or another public place).

I expect the first two conditions to be temporary until we as a community become familiar with this change.

10 thoughts on “Diocese of New Westminster will ignore Marriage Canon vote

  1. Just another apostate dressed like a bishop. However, that is not too surprising considering she succeeded the previous apostate Michael Ingham who masterminded the legally stealing of properties and evicting genuine Christians. We continue to see why the ACoC has a new name APOSTATE CHURCH OF CANADA.

    One might well ask when are the true genuine bishops going to take a stand and work with ANIC which, considering the recent events, is the only true Christian Anglican Church in Canada.

    • Not much love in your heart, Frank … hope you pray for your enemies and bless them … it doesn’t help to curse or name-call them. I pray God might soften your heart. After all, we are all sinners!

      • Yes, we are all sinners but for persons who are supposed to show leadership in the Church. In the business world such persons would be dismissed and with just cause. Further true love calls for asking persons to repent or change — NOT simply approve and endorse his/her activity. Calling them apostates is designed to bring about repentance. Further what would your thinking be if your church and property was legally stolen??

        • Frank, I think most of us on this site sympathize with the anger and pain of what you’ve been through. It wasn’t right then and it’s not right now. But William is right. The call – and it isn’t an easy one – is to try to surrender the heartbreak to God and to pray for those who have done us such injury and seem intent on doing more. That doesn’t mean pretending it’s okay, nor does it mean we don’t fight if there’s an opening for us to do so, but it does mean praying that God would change their hearts, for their good and ours.

  2. Bishop Jane Alexander of Edmonton posted on Twitter yesterday that she would authorize the use of the BAS marriage liturgy for same-sex couples.

  3. Thus begins, or ends, the purge of the Parish Councils; only “temporary”.
    By what canon law? The boot of the Bishops sans Bibles.

    • Good point Abigail. Watch also for lapse in Parish Council meetings/and or elections so that Wardens and Clergy can go ahead without input. Easy to do, happened in my second last parish, I had to use pressure from the area Archdeacon and Diocese to get Parish Council reinstated. Those days are probably over.

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