This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
On July 14, 2019, the Anglican Church of Canada made headlines by rejecting a motion to modify its definition of marriage to include same-sex unions.
The motion, which aimed to change the church's marriage canon to remove references to unions between a man and a woman, required a two-thirds majority from each of three groups of delegates: lay people, clergy, and bishops.
Although lay delegates and members of the clergy voted largely in favor of the move, they did not meet the two-thirds threshold among the bishops.
The rejection of the motion was met with disappointment from many in the church, which has nearly 1,700 parishes.
Bishop Andrew Asbil of Toronto, Canada's largest city, described the vote as "devastating news to our LGBTQ+ community, families, and friends."
Despite the rejection of the motion, the church has some room to maneuver, as a separate motion passed at the Vancouver meetings recognizes that each diocese can choose to handle same-sex marriage in their own way.
Some dioceses have performed same-sex marriages since 2016, and many of them intend to continue doing so, according to Meghan Kilty, the church's director of communications.
Canada legalized gay marriage in 2005, making it one of the first countries to do so.
