Church of Scotland wants to apologize for gay discrimination

Influential theologists urge the Church of Scotland to adopt a resolution with a formal apology for its "long history of discrimination" against gays, reports the Herald Scotland.

In a landmark report, the influential Theological Forum will ask members of next month's General Assembly to atone for long-standing institutional prejudices against LGBT people by calling for an apology both "individually and corporately" on behalf of the church.

The report by the Theological Forum, which counts former Moderator the Very Rev Professor Iain Torrance as its convener, said: “We recognise that as a Church we have often failed to recognise and protect the identity and Christian vocation of gay people and believe that the Church as a whole should acknowledge its faults.”

Another watershed proposal further paves the way towards greater acceptance of same-sex marriage by affirming that nominated ministers and deacons could be granted authority to preside over gay weddings.Besides, last year's decision by the General Assembly allowed ministers to be in same-sex marriages.

The Church of Scotland became part of the Church of England in 2016. They have significant differences in the views on homosexual relationships. The Church of England does not bless homosexual marriages among priests.