Mormon Church to allow baptisms, blessings for children of LGBT parents, reversing 2015 policy

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey April 4 at 11:44 AM

Children of LGBT parents will be allowed to be blessed or baptized, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declared in a new policy on Thursday, reversing a decision made in 2015 to exclude those children from the rituals until they were 18. The church will also update its handbook for leaders, removing the label of “apostasy” for same-sex marriage.

The initial policy, announced in June 2015, was met with fierce criticism across the Mormon Church. Several Mormon leaders weren’t sure how to implement the policy, said Matthew Bowman, a historian of the Mormon Church.

“There have been local leaders who have slow-peddled it, put it on hold, who sought further clarification,” he said. “Because of that, the impact of it has not been what it could have been.”

The policy was announced during the leadership session of the church’s 189th Annual General Conference.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/04/04/mormon-church-allow-baptisms-blessings-children-lgbt-parents-reversing-policy/