Heart and Soul: Queerly beloved: Same-sex love and the Synod
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 10 November 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Church of England prohibits same-sex relations. Even so, the debate on this position – in the UK and the worldwide Anglican Communion - continues. Should the Church allow and conduct LGBT blessings, and even marriages? And can the Church ever sanction sexual relations between two people who are not husband and wife, man and woman? These are the questions Anglicans tussle with.
Most recently, bishops in England made a proposal that same-sex couples should be welcomed in church for a blessing. Opposition from conservative, Anglican groups has been noisy, including from some same-sex attracted Christians.
Ahead of the General Synod, the Church of England’s regular gathering of bishops, and elected clergy and laity, Heart and Soul explores the most divisive and explosive issue facing Anglicans. Linda Pressly meets Christians who both accept, and struggle with, the Church’s teachings on sexuality.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly Editor: Helen Grady Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
(Photo: Esther and Victoria were married in September, 2019 in Old Saint Paul’s Church in Edinburgh. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, but it has allowed same-sex marriage since 2017. Credit: Marta Kacala)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's like driving a car under an avalanche, but you're taunting the |
| 0:06.3 | avalanche rather than trying to get away from it. Amazing sports stories from |
| 0:10.9 | the BBC World Service. |
| 0:13.0 | Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:16.0 | This is the documentary from the BBC World Service, |
| 0:22.0 | and in this week's heart and soul reflections on same sex |
| 0:25.3 | love and marriage in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The home of Anglican's |
| 0:30.4 | Mother Church is the Church of England. I'm Linda Presley reporting from the UK. |
| 0:35.4 | We're just in North Brixton really not too far from the oval cricket ground. |
| 0:39.7 | And why have you brought me here? I wanted to take you to the place where we have the |
| 0:43.7 | interd remains of some of our parishioners and I wanted to tell you a little story about a couple of |
| 0:48.8 | the parishioners who were long-standing members of this church. |
| 0:51.7 | St John the Divine is a red brick Victorian church with a mighty spire. |
| 0:56.5 | Father Charlie Bell, 30-something fresh-faced and energetic, is one of the priests here. |
| 1:01.7 | The church itself doesn't have any burials of bodies, |
| 1:04.8 | but we do have cremated remains in our church yard. |
| 1:07.8 | So you tell me when we're at the spot? |
| 1:09.8 | We're right here now. |
| 1:11.0 | A patch of earth with some plants on, there's an empty china jug, and it's just |
| 1:16.8 | against the wall of the church. |
| 1:18.8 | George and Andrew had been here amongst the longest of people in the congregation. |
| 1:23.8 | The men whose ashes are mingled together in the damp winter soil were gay. |
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