Bishop of Sheffield signs paper arguing against same-sex marriage

In January 2023, the Church of England formally apologised for its historic treatment of LGBTQ people, stating it must “repent” for “the times we have rejected and excluded” same-sex couples, whether they worship or not.

It comes as a report built on the back of a five-year-long debate on sexuality by the Church will soon be presented to its national assembly, known as The General Synod.

Now, ahead of the meeting, a paper signed by 14 bishops – including Sheffield’s Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox – has been published arguing against extending Christian marriages to same-sex couples.

The nine-page letter, which states the Church has “much to repent” for its treatment of LGBTQ people, offers itself as a “constructive summary” of why Christian scripture means marriage “cannot be extended to those who are of the same sex”.

It reads: “Few readers of this paper will feel neutral about it. Some will be instinctively grateful for it, while for others it may compound their sense of disappointment. Without seeking to diminish the value of many committed same-sex relationships, for which there is much to give thanks, we find ourselves constrained by what we sincerely believe the Scriptures teach which cannot be set aside.

“In offering this paper we are committed to continue to listen and learn from those with whom we disagree.”

The nine page letter points to scripture to say marriage is “a sign” of “the mystical union that is between Christ and his Church”. Further, in a discussion of “the meaning of Christian marriage”, it argues a “vital aspect” that emerges from a union is that “life is (potentially) generated”.

“[…] Only by the joining together of male and female that new life is born and the human race is perpetuated,” the letter reads.

“Holy Matrimony, in Christian understanding, is more than a contract, a private arrangement between two individuals that helps build social cohesion.

“Same-sex relationships can, of course, be lifelong, loving, committed, faithful, and provide deep and enduring companionship. As such the church needs to find ways to recognise and welcome such relationships, without explicitly or implicitly changing her teaching by doing so.”

In 2022, the Bishop of Sheffield wrote a chiding letter to his clergy ahead of the proposed ban on conversion therapy in the UK, asking them not to back scripture over “the unnecessary anguish” of LGBTQ people and stating conversion therapy has “no place in the modern world”.

The paper has been openly criticized by Matthew Drapper, a Sheffield churchgoer who says he was allegedly subjected to conversion therapy in the form of an abusive ‘exorcism’ by St Thomas Philadelphia Church, near Penistone Road, 2013. The incident is being investigated by the Diocese of Sheffield.

In an open letter to Dr Wilcox this week, Mr Drapper wrote: “By signing such a document, you are absolutely telling LGBT+ people they just either love celibate lives or be out of line with God’s will for marriage and as such encourage pastors, parents and friends to treat LGBT+ people in relationships as ‘less than’ God’s best.”