Toronto Anglican Archbishop to bless gay marriages despite national vote

Questions about the integrity of the voting process in which Anglicans narrowly rejected a resolution to allow same-sex marriage emerged Tuesday, leading to a stunning reversal of the result.

Some members stood up to say their votes had not been recorded during voting late Monday — when passage of the resolution failed by a single vote.

An earlier version of this story reported:

The Archbishop of Toronto has joined several other prominent clergymen who say they will bless same-sex marriages in defiance of a narrow vote by the Anglican Church of Canada not to authorize gay unions. 

More than 200 delegates attending the six-day General Synod 2016 narrowly rejected the resolution Monday night after hearing from more than 60 speakers, most of them in favor of gay marriage. 

• Anglican dioceses of Ottawa, Montreal to permit same-sex marriage, bucking Synod vote

• Canadian Anglicans vote down same-sex marriage

Toronto Archbishop Colin Johnson said he wanted his gay and lesbian colleagues "to share the joy" and that he believes most Anglicans support same-sex marriage.

The U.S. Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the United States, is alone among Anglican bodies in approving gay marriage and has faced a backlash for its support of same-sex unions.