Speaking on behalf of the bishops, the Rt Rev'd Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester and a member of the House's group on human sexuality said there were two moral issues to be considered.
"There is the moral and theological issue of human sexuality on which the Church has its teaching and its own debate. The teaching is that sex is a gift of God for the enriching of our lives within the context of marriage. The further debate among Christians is about the degree to which other lifestyles may rightly be valued.
"the second moral question is about criminalisation and that is one Parliament has to decide. There are plenty of things that transgress church teaching but are not illegal in this country: adultery for one. Parliament has to decide, bearing in mind its duty to protect young people, at what age homosexual relations should be deemed to be criminal and what message and effect its decision will have."
Recogising the complexities of the issues facing legislators, the House of Bishops statement voices concern that lowering the age of consent for homosexual relationships to 16 may give wrong messages both to young people and to society as a whole. "It is particularly important." say the bishops, "for it to be understood that actions may be legal without being morally right or socially desirable." A majority of the House is opposed to the ammendment to lower the age of consent.
Accepting there is debate, among bishops, the wider Church and society, about the right way forward on this issue, the House of Bishops believes there is a widespread desire that a broader agenda of moral vision should provide the context both for this debate and those on other social issues. This is a time, the Bishops say, when all need to work for greater stability and flourishing in personal lives, in the building of family life and in deepening community life.
Press Release - Bishops' statement ahead of the age of consent debate in the House of Commons
"All who have leadership responsibility in our society, both in Church and State, have a particular duty of care to support young people in their personal development, to protect them from harm and exploitation and to offer them a vision of what is good," said the House of Bishops in a statement this week ahad of a House of Commons debate on the age of consent for homosexual relationships.