The governing body of The Church in Wales will vote in a private ballot on whether or not provisions should be made to allow same-sex couples to marry in Welsh churches.

With deliberations beginning today, members will have to vote on whether or not they agree that: “It is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships.”

Archbishop of Wales John Davies wrote in a memo ahead of this morning’s meeting endorsing the statement.

“We are keenly aware of the deep desire on the part of some for us to lead in a particular and very definite direction, but we are also equally aware of others for whom that would be deeply and profoundly disturbing for us to do so,” he said.

Davies also said that he recognised that some members of the church may find the vote “deeply and profoundly disturbing.”

In a tweet, Changing Attitude (Trawsnewid Agwedd Cymru), an organisation dedicated to fighting for full inclusion of queer people in the Anglican Communion, said: “The time is now for @ChurchinWales to make it possible for congregations/clergy to act as they believe God is calling, to provide for same-sex marriage & God’s blessing for those who’ve had to seek civil partnership /marriage because of CinW’s current position.”

https://twitter.com/CATACymru/status/1039538432886956032

In a similar vote in 2016, members of the governing body of The Church in Wales voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriage in Welsh churches, but the vote was too narrow to come to a definitive decision. 61 members voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriages to happen in Welsh churches, while five members voted in favour of blessing same-sex partnerships, and 50 members voted against allowing same-sex marriage to occur.

In the years leading up to this vote, The Church in Wales has seen a significant decline in attendance at Sunday Mass, with an average of 27,359 attending Sunday services last year, compared to 34,717 in 2010.

Stating that a decision had not yet been reached, the Archbishop of Wales said, “We are of one view that it is pastorally unsustainable for us to do nothing, so the time has come for change. As for what that change might be, we have not come to any decision.”