Human Sexuality
The Scottish Episcopal Church seeks to be an open and welcoming community to all. It also encourages theological discussion and honest conversation on this topic, while acknowledging the difficulties such conversations can cause. Within the membership of the Church, lay and ordained, there is a range of theological and pastoral viewpoints.
On the specific question of same-sex relationships, in the 2010s the Church went through a cascading process of discussion and prayer, held in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This resulted in a change to the Church’s Canon Law on Marriage (Canon 31), permitting same-sex marriages to be conducted by SEC clergy. No cleric is required to conduct a same-sex marriage, and any who does must first be registered with the Registrar General of Scotland, via the Bishop.*
During the period of cascading discussions, The Rt Rev John Armes, Bishop of Edinburgh, wrote about the issue of same-sex marriage in a 2015 edition of what-was the diocesan magazine, The Edge.
You can read Bishop John’s article by clicking here
or on the image (left).
These news items and resources may also be of interest:
- Marriage and Human Intimacy (Grosvenor Essay No.8) – note that this was published in 2011, before the cascading discussions on same-sex marriage.
- Canon on Marriage news item, published 23 June 2017 following the change to Canon 31.
- College of Bishops’ Statement during Lambeth Conference 2022, following change to, and discussion on, the Human Dignity Call.
- Exploring Quirk! news item, published 19 February 2025 during LGBT+ History Month.
*Any priest who wishes to be nominated by the Bishop must formally request it and have the agreement of their Vestry; contact the Bishop’s PA for details.