Felixstowe same-sex couple receives one of Anglican church's first blessings

A couple has become one of the first same-sex partnerships to receive a blessing at a Church of England service.

Prayers for Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce were held at St John the Baptist Church in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

Both are associate priests in the parish and celebrated the "love and friendship" and "commitment to one another".

Blessing same-sex couples was recently sanctioned by the House of Bishops.

During the prayers, Canon Andrew Dotchin said the pair were continuing on a "pilgrimage graced by your [God's] blessing, with you as their companion in the dark where they can rejoice and hope in sustaining their love for all the days of their lives".

The General Synod, known as the Church of England's Parliament, of which Canon Dotchin is a member, voted in favour of offering blessings to same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages for the first time in February.

The vote followed a debate that took nearly eight hours and was spread across two days.

On Tuesday, the House of Bishops met online to confirm its earlier decision to commend the prayers for use in regular public worship such as Sunday Eucharist or Evensong, agreeing it should take effect this weekend.

The motion was passed by 24 votes to 11, with three abstentions.

There has been no legislative change in the Anglican Church and offering blessings is a voluntary decision for clergy.

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