Church in Wales approves bill for gay marriage blessing/Image: Getty Images

The Church in Wales approved a bill on Wednesday (April 15) to make gay marriage blessings a permanent part of its services, with the move supported by an overwhelming majority.This means that same-sex couples can continue to have their marriage or civil partnership blessed in the Church. The words used for these ceremonies will now be officially included in the Book of Common Prayer, which guides how services are conducted.The decision was taken by the church’s 143-member governing body. To pass, the motion required a two-thirds majority among three groups, bishops, clergy, and lay members. Common members voted 48 in favor against eight, while two abstained. The clergy supported it by 32 votes to seven, with five abstentions. The bishops approved this measure without any objection.The Ashirwad service was first launched in 2021 as a temporary move, with a trial period set to run until the end of 2026. Church officials said the move to make it permanent came after several years of discussion and feedback from across the church.Even with the change, individual priests will still be allowed to opt out if they do not wish to perform such blessings.Those in favor said the decision was about making the church more inclusive. The Bishop of St. Asaph, Gregory Cameron, spoke about the harm that LGBT people face when they are rejected. He shared the example of a young man who avoided talking to his parents for years because he feared how they would react to his sexuality. He said, “Please can’t we be a church that causes this kind of pain.”The Bishop of Llandaff, Mary Stallard, also supported the move. He said someone close to him had struggled deeply because of attitudes toward his sexuality within the church, describing it as a “culture of shame.” He said allowing the blessings in 2021 had been “something good and beautiful.”However, not everyone agreed with this change. Some members warned that this could lead to division. Andy Grimwood, a pastor, said he feared the decision would lead to unity and could lead to people leaving the church.The Rev. Melanie Prince said she had spoken to members of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, who urged the church not to move away from traditional teachings. Another member, Julia Schultz, said the blessing resembles a wedding service and raises concerns about staying true to long-held beliefs.The move also highlights the difference between the Church of Wales and the Church of England, which does not currently confer such blessings. Some see this as a possible sign that more changes may be coming in the future.The decision comes after Cherie Vaughn became Archbishop of Wales in July 2025, the first woman and first openly LGBT+ person to hold the position. She has said that she wants the church to better reflect the diversity of modern society.

In Bengal, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has sparked intense political controversy, with allegations that a large number of people are at risk of their names being removed from the electoral rolls. But in the Tibetan settlement of Kalimpong, many residents remember the experience of voter verification very differently – as a process that validates settled communities rather than excludes them.In this mountainous town, where Tibetans have lived for decades for generations, residents and settlement officials say investigations have so far revealed only a small number of anomalies. Many argue that when such exercises are done carefully and with reference to past records, they can confirm legitimate voters rather than disenfranchise them.In a small shop at 10th Mile, 72-year-old Khamji Bhutia dismissed apprehensions about the practice. He said, “We have no problem with SIR. We were born here.”That sense of confidence comes from a long local history. After China’s occupation of Tibet in 1959, not all Tibetans came to Kalimpong. Some families had already settled in the city when Kalimpong was an important trading centre. Traders traveled through Nathu La and Jelep La carrying wool, salt, borax and livestock; Some stayed, opened businesses and built homes.“I came many years before China took over Tibet,” said Jampel Kaldhen, 82, who came to Kalimpong in 1954 when he was 12. He said that language was not a barrier for him. “My third language was Sanskrit. I could communicate easily in Hindi.”Others came later, fleeing repression and rebuilding their lives in India. Many people found work as laborers before moving into small trades and businesses.“We all worked as labourers. We used to go to build roads in the lava, all men and women… we all worked. We built that road,” said Namdol Bhuta, 78, referring to the route to the tourist spot in Kalimpong district.For many here, that history shapes the way they view election verification. Inclusion of names in the voter list is not just a matter of documentation; It is a symbol of residence, labor and belonging built over decades.Residents and local officials say most Tibetans in Kalimpong already have documented continuity of residence. According to people familiar with the settlement, the Tibetan population in the area is estimated to be around 1,928. They say the current questions largely reflect a generational divide: many elderly Tibetans still hold refugee certificates, while younger members of the community, especially those born in India, are more likely to have Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards.“Those who remain with refugee certificates are often deeply attached to their Tibetan identity and prefer not to move away from it,” said Tenzing Bhutia, a resident of Kalimpong.Tashi Bhutia, a retired teacher of St. Augustine’s School, said his grandfather was born in Darjeeling. His father was later sent to Tibet to become a monk and returned years later. He emphasized that the community cannot be viewed through a refugee narrative. He said, “Not all Tibetans here fled Tibet after 1959. Some were born here. Some had been living here for generations.”Local Tibetan settlement official Tseten said that most Tibetans in Kalimpong had obtained documents before 2000, and had participated in earlier elections, including 2002. This has helped during the current revision as many names can be checked from the old voter list, he said.“We don’t have a lot of cases in the SIR, just a few cases. Most have their own documents,” Tseten said. “I don’t think there are deleted cases.”The Kalimpong experience does not address the larger political argument over SIR in Bengal. But this points to a difference: verification practices do not need to automatically become a means of exclusion. Where authorities rely on old records, documentary continuity and local history, settled communities are less likely to be treated as suspicious.

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गांव में तैयारियों में जुटे लोग
– फोटो : अमर उजाला

सीडीएस जनरल अनिल चौहान आज अपने पैतृक गांव गवाना पहुंच रहे हैं. गांव में उनका यह पहला आगमन है. उनके आगमन को लेकर ग्रामीणों में काफी उत्साह है. गांव के लोग इस मौके का बेसब्री से इंतजार कर रहे हैं.

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