- This article is also available in Portuguese
excerpt:
The General Synod of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil – the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil – (IEAB) has approved changes to its canons to permit same-sex marriages. Civil same-sex marriages have been legal in Brazil since 2012. In a statement, the Province said that the move would not require liturgical changes, because gender neutral language had already been introduced into its service for the solemnization of marriage in the 2015 Book of Common Prayer.
The move was overwhelmingly carried by the Synod members with 57 voting in favour and three against. There were two abstentions.
“Canonical changes were approved in an environment filled by the Holy Spirit and with mutual love and respect,” the Province said in a statement. “It was preceded by long, deep and spiritual dialogue. This dialogue formally started in 1997, but had been going on much earlier, and reached the whole Province since then through indabas, conferences, consultations, prayers, biblical and theological publications.”
The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Mark Strange, and the Bishop of Huron from the Anglican Church of Canada, Linda Nichols, were amongst international guests present at the Synod.
In making the move, Brazil becomes the third Anglican province to change its canons to permit same-sex marriage. The US-based Episcopal Church was first to authorises same-sex marriages in Church in 2015. At their meeting and gathering in Canterbury in 2016, the Primates of the Anglican Communion described the move as “a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage.”
The second Province to amend its canons to permit same-sex marriage was the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) in June last year. When the Primates met in Canterbury last October, the Primus of the SEC, Mark Strange, said that the decision “was ours to take as a self-governing province of the Anglican Communion.”
In a narrow vote in July 2016, the Anglican Church of Canada voted to amend its canons to permit same sex marriage. Under its constitutional rules concerning matters of doctrine, the 2016 vote does not take effect unless it is carried again when the Synod meets again next year.
Last month, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia agreed moves to retain its doctrinal position on marriage; but said it would now allow priests in New Zealand to conduct blessing of same-sex civil unions. The move was seen by many as a compromise position and was put forward by a group established to ensure that people with different convictions on issue of sexuality could remain in the Church. Read more via Anglican News
A Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil muda seus cânones para permitir o casamento de pessoas do mesmo sexo
O Sínodo Geral da Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil aprovou mudanças nos seus cânones para permitir o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo. O casamento igualitário já é legalizado no Brasil desde 2012. Em uma de suas declarações, a Província do Brasil afirmou que esta mudança não exigirá adequações litúrgicas, porque a linguagem inclusiva de gênero já estava introduzida também no ordinário do casamento desde 2015, na nova edição do LOC-Livro Comum de Oração.
Esta mudança foi aprovada pela maioria dos membros do Sínodo com 57 votos a favor e 3 contra. Não houve abstenções.
“As mudanças canônicas foram aprovadas em um ambiente inundado pelo Espírito Santo e amor e respeito mútuo”, afirmou a Província. “Foi precedido por um processo de escuta e diálogo longo, profundo e espiritual. Este diálogo começou formalmente em 1997, mas informalmente já existe desde muito antes. Toda a Província participou desse processo através dos “indabas”, conferencias, consultas, oração e muitas publicações bíblicas e teológicas”.
O Primaz da Igreja Episcopal da Escócia, Mark Strange, e a Bispa da Diocese de Huron, da Igreja Anglicana do Canadá, Linda Nichols, estiverem presentes como convidadas internacionais entre outras.
“Nós afirmamos nosso compromisso com o Evangelho de Jesus e nossa pertença à família global Anglicana”, afirmou a declaração feita pela Província. “Nós também esperamos nos manter juntas e juntos no caminho com aquelas/es que discordam de nós, na medida em que nós discernimos a melhor maneira de responder aos desafios que está em nossa frente em nossos contextos”. Read more via Anglican News