Gay Marriages To Take Place In Lutheran Church Of Sweden From November
Posted: 23rd Oct 2009 Author: Michelle Penny Topics: News
Gay Swedes will be able to get married in church from as early as November, thanks to a decision by the Luteran Church of Sweden to begin conducting same-sex marriages.
When put to the vote, around 70% of the 250 who make up the church board, or synod, voted in favour of the move, moving to make the Lutheran Church another of the very few churches that allows gay marriage. A great step forward in marriage equality, the importance of this move becomes even more obvious when it is noted that this isn’t a small denomination, with three quarters of the Swedish population identifying themselves as members of the church.
The move follows the decision of the Swedish government (who controlled the Lutheran Church till 2000) to legalise marriage in May 2009, and whilst a large percentage of those within the church are supportive, the move does give individual priests the right to refuse to perform the service, though others will do so if this should happen.
Greeted with a very positive response from gay rights organisations, the move has seen some criticism, particular from the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church in Sweden, who have been quick to distance themselves from the move, saying that the move is in contradiction with the traditions of their church.
