Bishops lift ban on consecration of civil-partner clerics

From The Church Times-

THE moratorium on the appointment as bishops of gay priests in civil partnerships has been lifted.

The House of Bishops announced in 2011 that clergy in civil partnerships should not be appointed as bishops until the outcome of a review of its 2005 statement on clergy in such partnerships ( News, 8 July 2011). The Bishop of Sodor & Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, was subsequently appointed to chair the review group ( News, 2 December 2011); its other members were the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Revd Christopher Foster, and the Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher.

Shortly before Christmas, Church House published a 13-point summary of business conducted by the House of Bishops when it met on 10 and 11 December. Point 7 of this, which has caused some confusion in online forums and among campaigners, said that the Bishops "considered an interim report from the group chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling on the Church of England's approach to human sexuality". This group was set up in January 2012, with a wider remit than the group chaired by Bishop Paterson, which was looking specifically at civil partnerships ( News, 6 January 2012).

The summary said that the Bishops did "not intend to issue a further pastoral statement on civil partnerships" until the Pilling group concluded its work later this year. It did not mention the work of Bishop Paterson's group.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2013/4-january/news/uk/bishops-lift-ban-on-consecration-of-civil-partner-clerics