Press Releases

January 17, 2005

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

On behalf of the General Council of The United Church of Canada, we write to express our church's position regarding equal marriage.

The most recent gathering of the General Council, the national governing body of the church, resolved to call upon the Government of Canada to recognize same-sex civil marriages in federal marriage legislation (Record of Proceedings, 2003). The General Council comprises some 350 members of the church representing every region in Canada. The United Church is Canada's largest Protestant denomination with more than three million members and adherents in 3,500 congregations across Canada. The United Church performs more than 15,000 marriages annually.

Beginning in 1984, the United Church affirmed our acceptance of all human beings as persons made in the image of God regardless of sexual orientation. Consequently, no distinction can be made in human rights on the basis of sexual orientation. This was affirmed by the federal government when sexual orientation was included in the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1996. Within the church we affirmed that all persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of their sexual orientation, are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry in 1988. And in 1992, the church mandated that liturgical and pastoral resources be made available to congregations for same-sex covenants. Recent United Church resources for marriage preparation make no distinction between heterosexuals and homosexuals.

As a Protestant denomination, the United Church does not regard marriage as a sacrament. Procreation is not a defining dynamic of marriage in the United Church. Nevertheless, the church places an extremely high value on the seriousness of vows taken before God and in the presence of witnesses. The church urges congregations to help couples to prepare for a life together and offers counselling and enrichment courses.

A significant and unique contribution that the United Church brings to the issue of equal marriage is the denomination's own experience of making same-sex marriage ceremonies available to its congregations and, at the same time, respecting the right of those within the denomination who do not wish to offer such services. The United Church unequivocally supports the rights of same-sex couples to have access to civil marriage; it also unequivocally supports the right of communities of faith to decline to perform such marriages.

Currently, equal marriage is only available in parts of Canada, impinging on the religious freedom of United Church congregations that do wish to perform same-sex marriages and have them recognized in civil law. We appreciate the federal government's support for equal marriage for all Canadians and intention to address the current anomaly as soon as possible. The United Church of Canada requests the Government of Canada to recognize same-sex civil marriages in federal marriage legislation.

Peace,

Jackie Harper
Family Ministries

Choice Okoro
Peace, Human Rights and Reconciliation Initiatives

cc. The Hon. Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice
The Hon. Stephen Harper, Leader of the Opposition and the Conservative Party
Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democratic Party