Church of England apologises for saying sex is just for married heterosexuals

Archbishops recognised statement "jeopardised trust"

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sits before addressing the United Nations Security Council on 29 August, 2018 (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)

The archbishops of York and Canterbury have apologised for a Church of England statement which said sex was just for married heterosexuals.

Justin Welby and John Sentamu said they acknowledged “the division and hurt” caused by their controversial guidance last week, which stated that civil partnerships should be no more than “sexually abstinent friendships.”

In a joint statement, the archbishops said: “At our meeting of the College of Bishops of the Church of England this week we continued our commitment to the Living in Love and Faith project which is about questions of human identity, sexuality and marriage.

"This process is intended to help us all to build bridges that will enable the difficult conversations that are necessary as, together, we discern the way forward for the Church of England."​

The church faced backlash from its bishops who sought to distance themselves from the guidelines, which said sex outside the confines of heterosexual marriage falls short of “God’s purposes for human beings.”

The statement, which reiterated the Church’s longstanding view on the matter, was released following a recent bill legalising mixed-sex civil partnerships.

The archbishops said they regretted the statement was released ahead of the publication of their sexuality review, Living in Love and Faith, which is expected to report on its findings later this year.

The guidance read: “For Christians, marriage, that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows, remains the proper context for sexual activity.”

Clergy in the Church of England are permitted to be in same-sex partnerships but only if they remain celibate.

Jayne Ozanne, a prominent campaigner for LGBT+ inclusivity in the church, said the apology was appreciated but it fell short of what was necessary for those who felt excluded from the church.

“More than words is now needed,” said Ms Ozanne, who penned an open letter criticising the initial statement, which she said made the Church a “laughing stock”.