Music and reading prohibitions in the past were considered excessive even by the bishops, leading Deputy Registrar-General Dennis Roberts to write a review proposing they be relaxed.
Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Rev Martin Wharton added; "The church sees marriage as central to the stability and health of human society and so to be encouraged and supported. While there does need to be a clear difference between a religious marriage ceremony and a civil one, the House of Bishops doesn't see songs like 'Angels' and readings with some spiritual element as creating a religious service. They wouldn't be part of a usual Sunday service, for example.�
In response to inconsistent interpretations of the rules Roberts said "readings, songs and music that may contain an incidental reference to a god or deity in a mainly non-religious context" should be allowed.
Bishops said; "There is scope for a somewhat more generous approach, provided it does not start to blur the fundamental distinction between a civil ceremony and a religious event."
It�s a case of �Angels in their eyes� then.
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