Native bishops express views on marriage

Notes: "In their August 7 [2015] statement to the commission on the marriage canon, the Anglican Church of Canada's Indigenous bishops attempted to chart a course between the liberal/conservative binary on the question of whether the church should practice same-sex marriages". The statement was signed by Bishop Lydia Mamakwa (Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh), Bishop Adam Halkett (Suffragan of Missinipi, Diocese of Saskatchewan) and Mark MacDonald (National Indigenous Anglican Bishop). "The statement acknowledged that there was disagreement among elders as to what the response should be if the church were to change its canons to allow for such marriages. 'Some view this as intolerable, a few find this acceptable and many would be willing to accept that we disagree with the larger church on these matters, as long as our societies, communities and nations have the acknowledged and welcome freedom to act on their own', the bishops said". "While Canadian society at large views marriage as a 'social contract between two people' with an emphasis on individual choice and freedom, 'for our elders marriage is a ceremony of community and the primary place where we enact our understanding of Creation and the relationship of God to the universe', it said".

Subjects: Native peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada; Marriage - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada; Same sex unions - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada; Native peoples - Canada - Marriage customs and rites; Anglican Church of Canada. Commission on the Marriage Canon; Mamakwa, Lydia, 1957-; Halkett, Adam S. (Adam Samson), 1954-; MacDonald, Mark L. (Mark Lawrence), 1954-