THE Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, has announced that he is stepping down as lead bishop for the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process.
On Facebook on Friday afternoon, he wrote that he was doing so “with a very heavy heart”. He was “hugely grateful to the staff team that I have worked with over the last 18 months and similarly the Working Group members who have given hours of their time to seek an agreed way forward in the Church of England on matters of sexuality, relationships, and marriage. I hope it may yet be possible to reach such an agreement, but I don’t think that can happen under my leadership.”
It has been suggested that Bishop Snow made his decision after it became clear that a majority of bishops did not back his proposals to offer delegated episcopal ministry for churches that opposed the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples, known as Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF)
Groups on both sides of the LLF debate have objected to the plan for delegated episcopal ministry: either because it went too far in dividing the Church, or did not go far enough in providing legal and structural distinction for those who object to the PLF.
Diocesan bishops have been meeting in Canterbury this week, the Church Times understands.
On Friday afternoon, the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, and the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, released a joint statement paying tribute to Bishop Martyn’s “invaluable contribution” to the LLF process.
“While we are saddened by Bishop Martyn’s decision to step down from this role, we fully recognise the weight of responsibility he has carried and the huge commitment in time and energy to bring the process to a new phase. We pray for him, as he moves on from this role.”
Archbishop Cottrell and Bishop Mullally offered reassurance that the overall oversight and timetable for the LLF process remained in place.
“The LLF Programme Board, chaired by the Archbishop of York, remains firmly committed to completing the diocesan consultations, before reporting to the House of Bishops and then General Synod in February next year,” they said.
The Programme Board was formed in April 2024 to support Bishop Snow and to provide oversight of the implementation process. Its creation followed the decision by the Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, to resign as co-lead bishop (News, 1 February 2024).
The collaboration between Dr Hartley and Bishop Snow had been intended to share the burden of the high-profile portfolio, previously been held by Bishop Mullally.
Consultations on the next steps in the LLF process, including the proposal for delegated episcopal ministry, were expected to take place at diocesan synods this year.
The chair of the campaign group Together for the Church of England, Canon Neil Patterson, said on Friday that he was “sorry” that Bishop Snow had felt it necessary to step down.
“He has shown great patience in striving to fulfil the decision of General Synod to proceed with PLF and a timetable for clergy same-sex marriage, against his own stated views and in spite of some determined efforts to derail the process.
“I have always appreciated his readiness to listen and understand a range of views, including mine. The Church now needs clear leadership from the House of Bishops so that the minority view that same-sex relationships are always sinful does not continue to hold the pass in the Church of England.”
A spokesperson for the group Inclusive Evangelicals (News, 31 October 2023) said that the group “wants to offer our thanks to Bishop Martyn as fellow Evangelicals for his work in a difficult role.
“He has sought to find a way forward for PLF to happen, as an Evangelical who personally doesn’t support same-sex marriage, and we value the integrity with which he has done that. Going forward, we are aware that many Evangelicals are supportive of same-sex marriage, and we believe that, whilst a majority are not, they are open to support PLF if assured they will not have to use it. We hope this offers a way forward in spite of what we believe is a minority deeply opposed.”
