A MOVE to make it easier for non-Christians to get married in an Anglican church failed yesterday when the clergy at the General Synod reversed their vote from Monday and rejected it. The synod (national church parliament) voted down a proposal that the church abandon its requirement that at least one partner be already baptised.
Liberals and evangelicals agreed at the synod at Melbourne Grammar that a church wedding provided an opportunity of contact with people who now knew little of church.
Opponents, mostly from the church's Catholic wing, argued Christian marriage is a sacrament of the church intended for its members.
The Anglican rejection follows recent debate about Catholic funerals in Melbourne after Archbishop Denis Hart republished guidelines restricting personal or secular touches such as football songs.
After particularly energetic debate, Monday's vote exceeded the two-thirds majority required in both laity and clergy but fell two bishops short. When two bishops said they had rejected the proposal in the mistaken belief they were voting for it, a second vote was held yesterday.
It again got the two-thirds majority in the laity, but only 66 clergy of 111 voted in favour, eight short. Some later said privately they changed their mind in protest against the unprecedented process of a second vote.
North Sydney Bishop Glenn Davies, who proposed the change, said marriage provided ''a gateway for people to access the Gospel'' at a time when 65 per cent of Australian marriages were performed by civil celebrants.
He said marriage was not a sacrament at all (Anglicans teach there are two, baptism and communion; Roman Catholics seven), and it made no sense to frighten off non-church people who might already be nervous.
But Melbourne canon Dr Colleen O'Reilly said there was already an opportunity to talk to people about their relationship to God when asking whether they were baptised. ''We already have all the freedom we need - we don't need to do our marketing by legislation,'' she said.
Newcastle Bishop Brian Farren called the proposal ''misguided liberalism'.'
The meeting also vigorously debated who should pay legal costs when relations break down between a bishop and his diocese, as has happened in Ballarat and The Murray - the diocese, the whole church or a combination.
Melbourne Bishop Philip Huggins, who has been in Ballarat since Bishop Michael Hough took sick leave until retirement in December, said at a time when steps were being taken towards reconciliation the church should not change the rules and leave the bill to the Ballarat diocese.
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