The Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of the motion, which entitles homosexual partners of Church ministers to the same pension benefits as surviving spouses.
Rev Mark Bratton, who proposed the motion said:
“Under the Civil Partnership Act, civil partners now have legal recognition of their relationship and rights and obligations similar to those of married couples. However, because changes to pensions’ benefits are not usually backdated, inequalities can persist for many years.”
Rev Canon Giles Goddard, in response to the motion passing, said:
“This vote ... clearly demonstrates that the Church of England is opposed to all forms of homophobia. I hope this will be the beginning of a new openness towards LGBT people in the church.”
Opponents of the motion pointed out the financial cost to the change. The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer said:
“At the time that the pension benefits in question were being accrued there could have been no expectation that those benefits would include a pension for a surviving civil partner.”
Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of Christian Concern for our Nation, commented:
“It is very disappointing that at a time when the Church of England should be sending a clear sign to the rest of the Church and the Nation about the importance of heterosexual marriage it has taken a step to formally recognise civil partnerships within its own system. This will lead to further pressure from homosexual lobby groups to ask for civil partners of clergy to be openly recognised and for Churches to perform ‘same sex weddings’. This is all clearly contrary to biblical teaching and must be resisted.”