Waiting for the echo...

Reading the latest ‘pastoral statement’ by the Church of England is like dropping a rose petal down a well and listening for the echo. “Sex”, according to the church, “is only for married heterosexual couples”. Couples in civil partnerships, whether gay or straight, should abstain from sex altogether, because “sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God’s purpose for human beings.” According to the latest British Social Attitudes survey, only 2% of adults aged 18 to 24 now feel any affiliation to the Church of England. Still waiting for the echo.

Licensed today: an image of the market square in Ripon...