The Church Of Scotland Will Allow Its Ministers To Officiate Same-Sex Marriages For The First Time
The Church of Scotland has voted to allow its clergy to officiate same-sex marriages for the first time.
The Church of Scotland has voted to allow its clergy to officiate same-sex marriages for the first time.
The church’s general assembly, its decision-making body, voted 274 to 136 on Monday May 23rd to allow its ministers to apply to marry same-sex couples.
Ministers who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages can refuse a request.
Scotland legalized same-sex marriage in 2014. The move makes the the Church of Scotland the largest church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages.
The Church of Scotland, which is Protestant, already allows gay ministers to marry, according to the Guardian.
The church will also update its regulation to replace references to the term “husband” and “wife” in marriages to “parties”.
In 2017 the Anglican Scottish Episcopal Church became the first church in Scotland to approve same-sex marriages.
