Ex-archbishop backs legalising gay union

THE former Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday said there could be a case for same-sex civil partnerships as long as they were not called marriages.

Lord George Carey said Christians should not assume there was anything “sinister” about same-sex relationships. But he said they should not be blessed in church.

The British Government is reportedly looking to put gay relationships on a more equal legal footing with heterosexual couples.

Lord Carey said many faiths would be alarmed at the prospect. But he added: “Marriage for me and for many people is a relationship between a man and a woman for life. It is not to do with same-sex relationships. But there may well be a case for looking sympathetically at civil partnerships.”

Lord Carey said the church had not “yet” split after the consecration of a gay bishop in America. And he urged American Christians not to do anything rash. “It has a potential to divide the Anglican communion very seriously indeed,” he said.

Meanwhile, two US polls released yesterday show Massachusetts lawmakers could be bucking public opinion if they try to thwart the Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling last week that found the state’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

Just over half of Massachusetts residents surveyed for a poll conducted by the Boston Globe and WBZ-TV poll said they agreed with the ruling, while 38% opposed it. A separate Boston Sunday Herald poll found 49% supported legalising gay marriage, while 38% opposed it.

In its ruling, Massachusetts' highest court gave the legislature 180 days to change the state’s marriage laws for the benefit of gay couples. Some state lawmakers are now pushing for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.

Others, including Gov. Mit Romney, suggest passing a law giving same-sex couples something short of marriage, similar to Vermont’s civil unions.