“Three quarters of Church of England priests believe Britain can no longer be described a Christian country, a new poll has revealed.
The huge survey conducted by The Times, which used responses from 1,200 serving priests, also found that more than half think that same-sex weddings should be allowed.
Of those surveyed, 53.4 per cent backed a change in law to allow priests to marry same-sex couples, whereas 36.5 per cent were against the idea.
The results were branded ‘absolutely huge’ by Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain, who runs the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church, and married his partner despite the rules.
‘It is really clear evidence of the direction of change the church needs to pursue,’ he told the paper. ‘I hope this kind of evidence will enable the bishops to feel confidence that there is a wide majority for change.’
The landmark survey also revealed that many priests feel they are over-stretched and are concerned that the church could ultimately face ‘extinction’ if it does not address the decline in attendance”