Catholic Church: We will continue to oppose the equal marriage bill in the Lords

The Catholic Church says it plans to continue actively opposing the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill on the grounds of religious “protections” following this week’s vote in the House of Lords.

A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said: “The Church’s principled objection to the legal re-definition of marriage is consistently and clearly set out.

“Following the bill’s second reading in the House of Lords, the Church’s aim is to ensure the bill, as it goes to committee stage, is amended so that it effectively delivers the protections that the government promised to provide for schools, religious organisations and individuals.”

The bill will now go on to committee in the Lords, where it will be scrutinised line-by-line on the floor of the Upper House from Monday 17 June.

On Wednesday, the Church of England said it accepted that there is a clear majority in Parliament to introduce same-sex marriage and that it will therefore end its opposition to the reform.

Rt Revd Tim Stevens, the Bishop of Leicester, who convenes the Church of England bishops in the House of Lords said that their role is to “join with other Members in the task of considering how this legislation can be put into better shape.”

Quakers, Unitarians, the Metropolitan Church, Reform and Liberal Judaism all support same-sex marriage. The Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, abstained in Tuesday’s vote. 

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