One More Try

Remarriage for Anglicans

Divorced Anglicans, like divorced Roman Catholics, are denied a church wedding should they wish to give marriage another go. But with Britain's divorce rate now one in three, the Church of England's General Synod last week decided that the second time around deserved a bit of help. By a vote of 254 to 145, it gave provisional approval for divorced individuals to be married in church after their cases have been reviewed and approved by the local Bishop and parish Priest. The proposal now goes to the church's 44 dioceses for comment before a final vote by the General Synod.

Though bitterly opposed by some traditionalists as a mockery of a sacred vow, the new policy is backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. Says he: "Fidelity to something which has gone is like asking someone who is an agnostic to be martyred for the faith." If three-fourths of the dioceses support the proposed change, as is expected, divorced Anglican men and women may be promising once again to forsake all others and be "faithful so long as ye both shall live," possibly as early as the fall of 1985. -