Gay
(Photo : Tony Webster/Flickr/CC)
Scottish Episcopal Church moved one step closer to allowing gay marriages as general synod passed a proposal to remove the clause from church doctrine which states that

The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church recommended removing the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman from the Church's canon at a meeting in Edinburgh on June 10. This step brought the church closer towards allowing same-sex marriage in the church as the clergy members voted to pass on the proposal next to church's seven dioceses.

The synod voted 97 to 51, with three abstentions, in the first reading of the motion to remove a doctrinal statement that says marriage is a union of one man and one woman. It included a conscience clause that permits clergy to abstain from presiding over gay marriage if they do not support it.

The proposal needs a majority of two-thirds of votes for the second reading to be approved by clergy and other members of the church in the synod vote next year.

"The current process will enable the Church come to a formal decision on the matter," Rt Rev Dr Gregor Duncan, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, told the Anglican Journal. "The passing of the first reading today will bring great joy to some; for others it will be matter of great difficulty. The wording of the proposed change recognises that there are differing views of marriage within our Church and we have attempted, and will continue to attempt, to sustain our unity in the midst of our diversity."

The new clause of canon 31 will alter the existing doctrine which states that "marriage is a physical, spiritual and mystical union of one man and one woman." Instead, it will be replaced by "differing understandings of the nature of marriage in this church", with an addition that "no cleric of this church shall be obliged to conduct any marriage against their conscience".

Rt Rev Dr Robert Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, voted against the proposal, but said that he and others like him who oppose gay marriage will accept the outcome.

"As one of the two bishops who voted against this motion I feel comfortable with the fact that we have arrived at the position in our Church where those of us who did vote against the motion can nonetheless live with the outcome," he told the Anglican Journal.

The Anglican church has long opposed same-sex marriages, and suspended the US Episcopal Church for three years after it approved gay unions. In 2014, the Archibishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that if Church of England approved gay marriage, it would be "catastrophic." He said that this could provoke assaults against Christians in conservative countries of Africa and Middle East.

Secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, told BBC: "I would echo what the Archbishop of Canterbury said recently in Zimbabwe on same-sex marriage: there are differing views within the Anglican Communion but the majority one is that marriage is the lifelong union of a man and woman."