The Commission on the Marriage Canon was active from 2013 to 2015. In 2013, the General Synod passed resolution C003, directing the drafting of a motion “to change Canon XXI on marriage to allow the marriage of same-sex couples in the same way as opposite-sex couples, and that this motion should include a conscience clause so that no member of the clergy, bishop, congregation or diocese should be constrained to participate in or authorize such marriages against the dictates of their conscience.” The motion was to be considered by the General Synod in 2016.
The General Synod resolution directed that the preparation of this motion should, among other things, demonstrate that a “broad consultation” had taken place. The Commission on the Marriage Canon was established by the Council of General Synod to carry out this consultation. The commission delivered its final report in September 2015:
- ‘This Holy Estate’: The Report of the Commission on the Marriage Canon
- Annotated Bibliography – This bibliography is not exhaustive but represents a sample of some of the background reading the commissioners undertook during their reflections.