Finnish Church OK's Prayers for Gay Couples

Finland's state church will permit a "prayer moment" for registered domestic partnerships, bringing religious leaders one step closer to recognizing gay relationships.

The General Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church's highest administrative body, issued a statement Friday saying it would allow clergy to minister to LGBT church members. A spokesman for the synold told Agence France-Presse that Lutheran ministers will have a choice as to whether they will perform the prayer with gay couples entering a legal partnership. Allowing of a prayer, however, does not constitute the church's blessing of same-sex relationships, or marriage equality.