Church 'has no right to say who can wed'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Church does not have the exclusive right to say who can marry, a Government minister has said, as she promised to press ahead with plans for same-sex marriages.
The Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said the Church did not "own" marriage and that the State was entitled to make changes.
With the Government due to begin consultations on the subject next month, she acknowledged the issue provoked strong feelings, but cited the supportive words of the former Archbishop of Canterbury.
"Some believe the Government has no right to change it at all; they want to leave tradition alone," she said. "I want to challenge that view – it is the Government's fundamental job to reflect society and to shape the future. (Marriage) is owned by neither the state nor the Church, as Lord Carey rightly said. So it is owned by the people."
While David Cameron and the Lib Dems strongly support same-sex marriages, there is fierce opposition in the Church and the Tory party.
Lord Carey accused Ms Featherstone of putting an "unwarranted slant" on his words.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments