Same-sex Marriage in Churches
Debate between Brooks Newmark and Maria Miller(11 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Maria Miller
I think the law is pretty clear on this. Marriage is between two people, which means that what my hon. Friend talks about would not be possible.
Mr Brooks Newmark (Braintree) (Con)
While I deplore discrimination on any level and will certainly be supporting same-sex civil marriage—I am glad that the Government are now considering supporting those religious institutions that support that—I have many constituents from more orthodox communities, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim. What assurance will the Government give to protect their beliefs?
Maria Miller
We will be absolutely making it clear to them that the safeguards that are in place are not safeguards purely for the Church of England—or indeed just for Christian Churches—but safeguards for religious institutions across the board. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that there are different views in different religious groups. We have to respect those views. It is important that we work with all such religious organisations to ensure that they understand the safeguards we will put in place and agree that they will work by providing them with effective protection.