The blessing of same sex civil unions will not take place in Catholic or Anglican churches in Britain despite the lifting of a government ban that up to now prevented this happening.
From December 5, under a new scheme, gay and lesbian couples can enter civil partnership agreements in religious premises, but there is no obligation on churches to take part in the initiative.
Instead they have to opt in to take part in the scheme.
Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Judaism have all said they would like to hold same-sex blessings in their churches or temples, but the Catholic Church and Church of England have said they will not lift the current ban.
A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said the new provisions were unnecessary, as none of its churches would be used for these purposes.
"As the regulations require prior consent, the measure can have no direct impact on Catholic premises.”
"The church welcomes the fact that the government has made an explicit statement in the draft regulations that nothing in them creates any obligation to make an application for approval. This will help rebut any attempt to mount spurious cases of unlawful discrimination against churches which do not host civil partnerships,” he said.
A spokesman for the Church of England said they would study the draft regulations “as a matter of urgency to check they deliver the firm assurances that have been given to us and others that the new arrangements will operate by way of denominational opt-in.”
He went on, “The Church of England has no intention of allowing civil partnerships to be registered in its churches."
The Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone, announced on Thursday that the ban on same-sex ceremonies in religious buildings would be lifted on December 5.
Under the regulations, no religious community will be forced to conduct the ceremonies but those that wish to can apply by the end of the year.
Featherstone's announcement comes after an amendment was made in the last Parliament in the House of Lords to the Equality Act that removed the ban on holding civil partnership ceremonies in religious premises.
The Lord Alli amendment to the equality bill was passed in March 2010 by a majority of 74 votes.
There were 6,385 same sex civil partnerships in Britain in 2010.