Church has "more work to do" after voting to bless same-sex couples- Archbishop of York
The Church of England's general synod has voted in favour of offering blessings to same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages
The Archbishop of York said the Church of England still has "more work to do", after voting to bless same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages.
A marathon near-eight hour debate across two days ended in a vote for the proposals on Thursday at a meeting of what is known as the church's parliament.
A packed room at Church House in Westminster remained relatively silent when the result of the vote was announced.
Immediately before the vote a minute of silence was observed followed by a prayer said by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
The position on gay marriage will not change and same-sex couples will still be unable to marry in church.
The motion also included an acknowledgement of a "failure" to welcome LGBTQI+ people and a repentance for the harm they have and continue to experience in the church.
In a vote broken down by houses, the House of Bishops voted 36 for and four against with two abstentions.
Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said he was pleased with the result but could not feel joyful due to his awareness of differences in opinion on the matter.
He said: "We are divided on this as a church and those divisions run deep.
"And the church is, you know, we're not an organisation, we're a community, we're a family, we're a household and it's very painful when there's disagreement.
"So, although I am pleased about the decisions we've made, I suppose I'm not feeling joyful because I'm concerned for my sisters and brothers for whom this is going to be very difficult."
Asked if he looks forward to it, he said: "Yeah, I've got gay friends, like many of us have, and if that's what they wanted, and it was appropriate, then of course I would.
"But in due course. We've still got a bit more work to do. And actually a lot of that work will be about giving the reassurances to those who are troubled that we can still hold together and walk together as one church."