CANADA:A resolution which would have allowed each diocese in the Anglican Church of Canada to decide whether to bless same-sex unions has been narrowly defeated in a vote at its general synod.
However, a separate vote decided that such blessings were not in conflict with the church's core doctrine.
The general synod has been meeting in Winnipeg.
On the motion which would have allowed same-sex blessings, lay delegates voted 78 to 59 in favour and clergy voted 63 to 53 in favour. But the church's house of bishops voted 21 against to 19 in favour. The motion was therefore defeated, as it required approval by each of the three houses of voters in order to pass.
The motion read: "This general synod affirms the authority and jurisdiction of any diocesan synod: (a) with the concurrence of the diocesan bishop; and (b) in a manner which respects the conscience of the incumbent [ rector] and the will of the parish, to authorise the blessing of committed same-sex unions."
A vote earlier in the day agreed that the blessing of same-sex unions was not in conflict with the church's core doctrine.
That motion read: "This general synod resolves that the blessing of same-sex unions is not in conflict with the core doctrine (in the sense of being credal) of the Anglican Church of Canada."
It was carried by a vote of 152 for and 97 against in the houses of the clergy and laity and by a vote of 21 for and 19 against in the house of bishops.
Since 2003 the blessing of same-sex unions, along with the ordination of actively gay clergy, has threatened to split both the Canadian Anglican Church and the approximately 77 million membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
In that year the Canadian diocese of New Westminster authorised a blessing for same-sex unions. Later in 2003 the issue reached a crisis point in Anglicanism when an actively gay man, Canon Gene Robinson, was ordained bishop of the US diocese of New Hampshire.
The Anglican Communion is a loose federation of 38 national churches whose nominal head is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
"There will probably be some measure of pleasure [ in the Anglican Communion] in that we have not moved ahead," said Bishop Fred Hiltz, the Canadian Anglican Church's newly-installed primate, who voted in favour of allowing the same-sex blessings. He now faces the task of keeping the Canadian church's 640,000 members together.
"There's no question there will be considerable disappointment on the part of many, and a lot of pain, and there will be some people who will be saying 'How long, oh Lord, how long must this conversation continue'?" he added.
Canada is one of the few countries in the world to have legalised gay marriage.
The planned same-sex blessing would not have been a marriage ceremony, but a ritual whereby a priest recognised and prayed for civilly-married couples or those in a lifelong, committed, monogamous relationship.
