Archbishop of Canterbury questions State's role in re-defining marriage
The Archbishop of Canterbury has stated that the Government has no right to legalise same-sex marriage, and that issues regarding homosexual rights should be “addressed at the level of culture rather than law.”
In a statement to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Dr Rowan Williams commented that the legalisation of homosexual marriage would impose an unwanted re-definition of marriage on the whole of society, and that the law on human rights fell “short of a legal charter to promote change in institutions.”
He added: ‘If it is said that a failure to legalise…... same-sex marriage – perpetuates stigma or marginalisation for some people, the reply must be, I believe, that issues like stigma and marginalisation have to be addressed at the level of culture rather than law.’
In a discussion with MPs early this week, Dr Williams also made it clear that Church of England buildings would not be used to solemnise same-sex marriages should they be introduced, although critics believe that it would only be a matter of time before churches were forced to accept same-sex marriages on their premises.
Opposition
The Archbishop’s intervention came after coalition ministers vowed to change the law irrespective of the wishes of the church, and even though evidence suggests that the majority of people in Britain do not want marriage redefined to include same-sex couples.
Christians appear to be particularly opposed to the plans. A recent poll by ComRes found that 83% of church-going Christians in the UK are opposed to the plans to legalise homosexual marriage, and 57% are “less likely to vote” for the party because of this move.
Coalition for Marriage
It is expected that the Archbishop’s comments will increase the pressure on David Cameron, who is personally determined to re-define marriage, after a campaign was launched last week to preserve the traditional understanding of marriage between one man and one woman.
Supporters of the campaign, named the ‘Coalition for Marriage’, argue that the Government has no democratic mandate to redefine marriage, noting that no party had mentioned the proposal in their election manifestos.
The campaign has receiving backing from the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, who criticised the move to redefine marriage for being “one of the greatest political power grabs in history”.
Consultation
It is expected that the Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone, will publish a consultation on same-sex marriage next month, although the consultation will be asking ‘how’ such a measure will be introduced, rather than ‘whether’ it should be.
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