According to the Sunday Telegraph, St Thomas parish split from the SEC because of the Anglican body’s decision to endorse same-sex marriage. The Rev David McCarthy, Rector at St Thomas’ told the newspaper the decision was extremely difficult.

“We have not done it easily. We have had many tears and many sleepless nights. It is a tragic necessity,” he said. “But it is the Episcopal Church who are leaving us. They are leaving orthodoxy.” In June 2017, the SEC voted to amend canon law and allow same-sex couples to be married in church. The move made it the first branch of the Anglican faith in the UK to allow same-sex marriage.

SEC members voted to remove the doctrinal clause which stated that marriage is a ”union of one man and one woman”, replacing it with a clause which asserts that clergy who do not wish to preside over same-sex weddings will not be compelled to do so ”against their conscience”.

The Anglican Communion, the international association of the world’s third largest Christian movement, punished the SEC for its decision last year. Now SEC leaders are not be allowed to represent the Anglican Communion and cannot take part in any votes the Communion holds regarding doctrine or new rules.

In response to the discipline, Most Rev Mark Strange Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said it was a decision that was made with much prayer, theological debate and personal testimonies, but in the end the Church decided to allow those of different views to “walk together”.

Culled from Premier News