The Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, has apologized to traditionalist Anglicans for "the offence or distress" caused by comments calling for a "gender-neutral marriage canon" in which he said he conveyed a lack of respect for "those who think differently."
Members of the clergy enter York Minster before a service to consecrate Reverend Libby Lane as the first female bishop in the Church of England, in York, northern England, January 26, 2015. | Reuters/Phil Noble
The Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, has ramped up pressure on the Church of England to allow clergy to bless same-sex relationships by making the controversial call for a gender neutral marriage canon.
The call comes in advance of elections to the governing body, the General Synod, where evangelicals are seeking to increase numbers in a bid to protect the doctrine of the Church.
Speaking to a national conference on Saturday for revisionist activists in the CofE, Bishop Bayes said: I want to see a gender-neutral marriage canon, such as they have in the Episcopal Church (in the U.S.) or in the Scottish Episcopal Church.
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