Edmonton Anglican bishop considers next steps after national vote against same-sex marriage
'I am sick at heart for the outcome of the vote,' says Bishop Jane Alexander
The bishop in charge of Anglican churches in Edmonton says she's considering her next steps after a national vote Monday against the church authorizing same-sex marriages.
"I am sick at heart for the outcome of the vote that defeated the motion," Bishop Jane Alexander wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
"I want to be part of a broad and inclusive church," Bishop Alexander wrote. "I ask you to be patient with me as I work out our next steps in the diocese of Edmonton."
In order to pass, the resolution required two-thirds support from all three orders — lay delegates, clergy and bishops.
The bishops voted 68.42 per cent in favour of the resolution, and the lay delegates voted 72.22 per cent in favour. The clergy, however, voted 66.23 per cent, just missing the percentage needed.
"The vote itself, 72 per cent in favour across houses, is a testimony to the church that at the very least we want to engage, we want to talk, and we want to include," Bishop Alexander wrote. "This is not a church that has said, 'I have no need of you.' "
In the post, Bishop Alexander said she has spoken personally and publicly in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry in the Anglican church, and asked for "prayers in the days ahead."
The Edmonton Diocese isn't the only one considering its options on the issue.
The bishops in Ottawa and Hamilton have come out with statements declaring that the broader church rules allow them to marry same-sex couples, and they will do that, despite the vote against amending the church marriage laws.