Archbishop of York warns against gay marriage (From The Northern Echo)

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Archbishop of York warns against gay marriage

1:00am Saturday 28th January 2012 in News

MARRIAGE WARNING: Dr John Sentamu

THE Archbishop of York has said Ministers should not overrule the Bible by allowing same-sex marriage and that marriage must remain a union between a man and a woman.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Dr John Sentamu said marriage is set in history and the state cannot change it overnight.

He said: "I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can't just (change it) overnight, no matter how powerful you are.

"We've seen dictators do it in different contexts and I don't want to redefine very clear social structures that have been in existence for a long time and then overnight the state believes it could go in a particular way.

"It's almost like somebody telling you overnight that the Church, whose job is to worship God (that it will be) an arm of the Armed Forces. They must take arms and fight. You're completely changing tradition."

The Government will open a consultation on the issue in March.

Dr Sentamu said the bishops in the House of Lords did not try to stop Labour introducing civil partnerships in 2004, giving same-sex couples improved legal rights.

He added the Church was also content with last year's move to allow civil partnership ceremonies in places of worship, as long as it is voluntary and agreed by the governing body of any particular denomination.

But Dr Sentamu said the Government would face a rebellion on any changes in legislation on gay civil marriage.

"The rebellion is going to come not only from the bishops. You're going to get it from across the benches and in the Commons.

"If you genuinely would like the registration of civil partnerships to happen in a more general way, most people will say they can see the drift. But if you begin to call those marriage, you're trying to change the English language.

"That does not mean you diminish, condemn, criticise, patronise any same-sex relationships because that is not what the debate is about.

"The Church has always stood out - Jesus actually was the odd man out. I'd rather stick with Jesus than be popular because it looks odd."

Dr Sentamu has previously expressed concern over the gay marriage of homosexual clergy after two reverends exchanged rings and vows at a service held in St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London in 2008 In a joint statement with the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, he said: "Those clergy who disagree with the Church's teaching are at liberty to seek to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be changed.

"But they are not at liberty simply to disregard it."

Comments(33)

darloab99 says...
7:22am Sat 28 Jan 12

You'd think being black that he'd maybe not be so narrow minded and bigoted. He'd maybe look at the bigger picture and accept and forgive. This is basically just a poor attempt by a dying and worthless cult to drum up some business and PR with some controversial opinions. The "Bible" is just a bunch of plagiarised tall tales from history with a fictional "God" central character. It's hardly a book of facts, merely a theological hypothesis that has no factual bearing on modern society. Move aside old man, your views are weak and outdated. It's time to finally turn our back on religion and the animosity and tension it causes. It is THE reason that any conflict has begun in the world. For shame!