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| Protests as Church of England debates gay marriage | Protests as Church of England debates gay marriage |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Protestors have gathered at the Church of England headquarters, as bishops meet to debate sexuality and marriage. | Protestors have gathered at the Church of England headquarters, as bishops meet to debate sexuality and marriage. |
| A recent report upheld the Church's view that marriage in church should only be between a man and a woman, and services should not be held to bless same-sex relationships. | A recent report upheld the Church's view that marriage in church should only be between a man and a woman, and services should not be held to bless same-sex relationships. |
| The General Synod - the Church's ruling body - will vote on the report today. | The General Synod - the Church's ruling body - will vote on the report today. |
| The Most Rev Justin Welby warned the church's parliament against self-indulgence in the deliberations. | The Most Rev Justin Welby warned the church's parliament against self-indulgence in the deliberations. |
| 'Church-sanction discrimination' | 'Church-sanction discrimination' |
| Champions of LGBT rights sang hymns outside the General Synod in London and demanded the Church of England ended inequality for gay people. | Champions of LGBT rights sang hymns outside the General Synod in London and demanded the Church of England ended inequality for gay people. |
| The group, organised by the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and Changing Attitude, with the support of Out and Proud African LGBTI and rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, called for the rejection of the bishops' report. | The group, organised by the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and Changing Attitude, with the support of Out and Proud African LGBTI and rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, called for the rejection of the bishops' report. |
| Mr Tatchell said the report proposed a "massive scale of church-sanctioned discrimination". | Mr Tatchell said the report proposed a "massive scale of church-sanctioned discrimination". |
| He added: "It denies the right of same-sex couples to be blessed in church, even though it will bless cats and dogs, and it gives a very clear message that clergy who are in same-sex marriages which are lawful will be denied promotion." | He added: "It denies the right of same-sex couples to be blessed in church, even though it will bless cats and dogs, and it gives a very clear message that clergy who are in same-sex marriages which are lawful will be denied promotion." |
| The Reverend Bertrand Olivier, who's gay, told the BBC the Church needed to reflect modern society. | The Reverend Bertrand Olivier, who's gay, told the BBC the Church needed to reflect modern society. |
| He said: "The proposals on the table are indeed gong to take us back 20 years. I've been a priest in the Church of England for 21 years. | He said: "The proposals on the table are indeed gong to take us back 20 years. I've been a priest in the Church of England for 21 years. |
| "I was ordained as an openly gay candidate then and it's been going backwards ever since at the same time as the nation has moved on and we now have legal same-sex marriage." | "I was ordained as an openly gay candidate then and it's been going backwards ever since at the same time as the nation has moved on and we now have legal same-sex marriage." |
| But the Bishop of Willesden, the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent told the BBC that campaigners may be asking too much. | But the Bishop of Willesden, the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent told the BBC that campaigners may be asking too much. |
| He said: "Our role is to hold the Church together and say we can only go as far as the whole church can agree. Campaigners are actually wanting us to go further, more hurriedly, than we necessarily can. | He said: "Our role is to hold the Church together and say we can only go as far as the whole church can agree. Campaigners are actually wanting us to go further, more hurriedly, than we necessarily can. |
| "We need to do more work on what we can agree around and not just say because we've had the shared conversations, we can give campaigners exactly what they want." | "We need to do more work on what we can agree around and not just say because we've had the shared conversations, we can give campaigners exactly what they want." |
| Gambling legislation | |
| The Synod has unanimously passed a motion urging the government to bring forward proposals to reduce the amount gamblers can stake on on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2. | |
| In a speech to the church's national assembly, London Diocese lay member Clive Scowen said the "machines feed off poverty and exacerbate it, often plunging people into unmanageable debt". | |
| The Bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, said the debate concerned a "very focused form of betting which has caused huge suffering". |