Same-sex marriage: Presbyterian regret at lack of ‘freedom of conscience’ protections

New legislation from Westminster this week allows for same-sex weddings to be held in churches in Northern Ireland if ministers and priests have the backing of their governing authorities.

However, the new measures do not afford business owners or civil registrars an opt out based on religious convictions.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 were laid before Parliament on Thursday and comes into force on September 1.

Rev Daniel Kane, Convener of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI) Council for Public Affairs said the PCI continues to uphold “the historic and Christian understanding” that marriage “is exclusively between one man and one woman”.

Rev Kane said: “This understanding is in keeping with historic, mainstream and orthodox Christian teaching, and the biblical position of marriage.

“We have consistently opposed the redefinition of marriage, and therefore as a Church, we welcome the fact that the regulations acknowledge in law the right of PCI, and other religious bodies, to maintain its position and not undertake such ceremonies.

“We therefore regret the fact that these regulations prevent local businesses, such as florists and photographers, from separating their business practices from their right to manifest their religion in practice and observance. The same could be said of those employed by local authorities and other public bodies.”

Rev Kane, who is the minister of West Church Presbyterian in Ballymena, said that in an increasingly pluralist society, “creative ways should surely be found to facilitate reasonable accommodations that properly value the role of conscience in the public square,” and added: “I am thinking, for example, of a civil registrar, who may not wish to officiate at a same-sex marriage ceremony. If such a case arose, surely a local council could provide alternative arrangements to protect that employee’s freedom of conscience, whilst not frustrating the legal right of individuals to avail of the new legislative provisions.”

He went on to say: “To compel people of faith to compromise their strongly held religious convictions, or indeed force people of faith out of valuable roles in our community, runs contrary to what we all desire – an open and tolerant society where everyone can play their part.”

• Although the new legislation comes into force on September 1, the earliest date for a same-sex religious wedding in NI will be September 29.

Announcing the new measures, the government said: “The regulations also put in place protections so that religious bodies (and individual officiants) cannot be compelled by any means, including by the enforcement of a contract or a statutory or other legal requirement, to perform same-sex marriages or otherwise be involved in same-sex marriages.”

The law was passed by Westminster while Stormont was suspended.

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