Pacific Anglican church says no to blessing same-sex couples

Monday, May 21st, 2018

The Tikanga Pasifika, the Pacific arm of the Anglican Church, has opted not to support a resolution passed at the recent general synod of the Anglican communion allowing for the blessing of same-sex couples.

The resolution affirms that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, but it allows for individual bishops to offer a “non-formulary service” to bless same-sex couples.

The General Synod had previously passed a resolution noting that Tikanga Pasifika would not be voting for the blessing of same-sex relationships.

In the preamble to the resolution, the synod said it was “deeply mindful of the deep interweaving of cultural and religious values at the core of our Pacific societies that place a profound respect and reverence for the belief in God and the belief in the traditional understanding of marriage.”

It also notes that the constitutions of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji “do not recognize any union between the same gender.”

The Diocese of Polynesia released a statement saying the “constitutions and cultures” of its nations were reflected in its position on the issue.

The statement said the diocese honoured the church’s work and understood the decision to allow same-sex marriages was “located in the Maori and Pakeha context, within the laws and cultures of New Zealand.”

But it said, as far as the church was concerned, Pacific custom and protocol was against same-sex relationships.

The Diocese of Polynesia stressed the church was still united and “the beauty of this decision is that no-one imposes on anyone… an authentic representation of our voyage together.”

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