Presbyterian Church of Scotland Allows Same-Sex Marriage for Priests Again
By Gwen
Posted Oct 25, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The Presbyterian Church of Scotland once again permitted priests with a non-traditional sexual orientation to serve in parishes, as reported by the Orthodox magazine “Foma.” This decision was made during the General Assembly held in Edinburgh, where the church expressed its commitment to the traditional Christian understanding of marriage. Despite this, the assembly allowed the appointment of individuals with unconventional attitudes toward the role of priests and deacons.
In 2013, the Scottish Presbyterians first permitted the ordination of clergy with non-traditional sexual orientations. However, the issue remained a subject of ongoing debate due to protests from those who adhere to the traditional Christian view of marriage. The church plans to present its fundamental stance on same-sex unions at a special religious forum in 2017.
The Presbyterian Church of Scotland is a branch of Protestantism and part of the broader Christian denominations. The church’s position is rooted in the belief that the difference between the sexes is a gift from the Creator. As stated in Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” This belief underpins the church’s understanding of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
In response to the Scottish Presbyterians’ decisions, the Russian Orthodox Church declared in June 2015 that further dialogue with the Church of Scotland and the Protestant Church of France was “unopposable.” The Russian Orthodox Church stated that no further official contact was possible with these denominations.
The magazine “Foma” operates with the support of its readers and encourages contributions to continue its mission of speaking about Christ, the Gospel, and the Orthodox faith. The magazine emphasizes the importance of community support, particularly through monthly donations, which can be canceled at any time.
Source: Read the original report (translated from Russian)
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
