Service in Southwark Cathedral on 16th November 1996 to mark the twentieth aniversary of the lesbian and gay Christian movement

"There has been considerable public debate, within and beyond the Church of England, about the forthcoming Service in Southwark Cathedral on 16 November to make the 20th anniversary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement. Many people have expressed their distress to me about it, and I therefore wish to clarify both the status of the Service and the position of the House of Bishops."

The decision to make Southwark Cathedral available for this purpose is, quite properly, entirely the responsibility of the Provost and Chapter of Southwark Cathedral. Thus, this was not a decision taken by Bishops individually or collectively and it does not reflect any change in the position outlined in the House of Bishops' Statement Issues in Human Sexuality in December 1991.

I wish to make it clear that, although I welcome continuing prayerful debate about these issues among many others, the House of Bishops is not about to change the position outlined in that Statement.

It is plain that some of the aims of the LGCM are in conflict with the General Synod Resolution of November 1987 and the understanding set out by the House of Bishops in 1991. For example, the Bishops cannot regard homosexual practice as on a par with heterosexual practice within marriage. On the other hand, LGCM comprises Christian people loved by God who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. To make a church or cathedral available to Christian people for worship and prayer, or to preach at such a gathering, cannot properly be taken as an endorsement of whatever the congregation wants, but is a mark of recognition that followers of Christ should cherish all that they have in common, notwithstanding strong differences of opinion on particular issues.

Pressure group tactics on either side are inappropriate. Christian people should demonstrate the quality of their faith by the way in which they conduct the debate about deeply felt and contentious issues. The Church of England should continue to study the theological and pastoral issues concerning human sexuality, and the House of Bishops has asked a group of its members, led by the Bishop of Oxford, to take the lead in discussion with others. But the Church should also avoid becoming preoccupied with these issues to the exclusion of many other vital aspects of Christian mission and witness.