The church will also update its handbook for leaders, removing the label of “apostasy” for same-sex marriage. The initial decision to exclude LGBT families from the core rituals, announced in June 2015, was met with fierce criticism across the 16 million-member Mormon Church. Some local Mormon leaders weren’t sure how to implement it, said Matthew Bowman, a historian of the Mormon Church. For example, some Mormon children had parents who were in a same-sex relationship, but they weren’t living with them due to divorce. “It’s probably the first time I’ve seen direct public opposition to a church policy by the rank and file,” he said.

Source: Washington Post April 04, 2019 15:46 UTC