Church in Wales Governing Body votes to make permanent provision for same-sex blessings

The Church in Wales Governing Body has today voted to make permanent provision for church blessings for couples in same-sex Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships.

Five years ago, after deciding that it was “pastorally unsustainable” for the Church to make no formal provision for those in committed same-sex relationships. the Governing Body approved a service of blessing for an experimental five-year period, which is due to come to an end in September this year.

Yesterday and today, at its meeting in Llandudno, the Governing Body debated a motion to make the provision permanent by incorporating a rite for the blessing of same-sex marriages and partnerships into the Book of Common Prayer.

The measure needed a two thirds majority of each of the Orders which comprise the Governing Body: Bishops, Clergy and Laity.  All five Bishops voted in favour. The clergy voted 32 – 7 in favour, with 5 abstentions, and the laity 48 - 8 in favour, with 2 abstentions.

You can read the proposed liturgy here, and the amendments proposed by members of the Governing Body here.

The Church in Wales does still not have provision to marry same-sex couples. However, in November 2025, after several months of careful listening exercises, the Bishops of the Church issued a pastoral letter noting that the process had shown a majority “in favour of the view that the time is right to offer equal marriage.”

Further proposals will duly be brought forward in April 2027 to allow the law of the state and of the Church to be changed to permit equal marriage in the Church in Wales.

Speaking about today’s vote, the Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales, said: “I want to thank everyone for the ways in which this debate was conducted – calmly, and with mutual respect. The Bench of Bishops and I recognise that this is an issue about which people hold strong convictions. We want everybody to be able to hold their views with integrity whilst not losing sight of the image of God that resides in all of us. We want to build a church that can make space for each other whatever our different perspectives.”