Church says sorry for saying sex was only for straight married couples

The archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised after the Church of England (CofE) declared only straight married couples should have sex.

Religious leaders Justin Welby and John Sentamu took full responsibility for releasing the official statement last week.

The pastoral guidance, which said civil partnerships should be no more than ‘sexually abstinent friendships’, was issued to clergy after a recent change in UK law allowed straight couples to get married in a civil ceremony instead of a traditional marriage.

The pastoral statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England, said: ‘Sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God’s purposes for human beings.’

Archbishop of Canterbury Mr Welby and archbishop of York Mr Sentamu admitted on Thursday the statement had caused ‘division’ and ‘hurt’.

They added: ‘We as Archbishops, alongside the bishops of the Church of England, apologise and take responsibility for releasing a statement last week which we acknowledge has jeopardised trust.

‘We are very sorry and recognise the division and hurt this has caused.’

The church has for decades grappled with how it addresses LGBT rights as the views of society become more liberal.

It is currently carrying out a major study on human sexuality called Living in Love and Faith, which is due to be published later this year.

The archbishops said they were continuing their commitment to the study.

They said in a statement: ‘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.’

Since New Year’s Eve, heterosexual couples have been able to opt for the civil option over traditional marriage.

The CofE allows clergy to be in same-sex civil partnerships provided they are sexually abstinent.