"I feel the weight of history on our shoulders, because it's such a historic moment for the
Church of England," Bond, 63, said. Wearing a gold jacket and sparkly silver nail varnish,
she added that she was "excited" -- and indeed surprised -- to have received a glut of
messages of support both locally, and as far afield as Italy and France. "It hadn't dawned
on me, this level of interest," Pearse laughs.

While the blessings were welcomed by some as progress on what has long been a divisive issue, those who have campaigned for same-sex marriage within the church have said they do not go far enough, while others feel they go too far.

On Tuesday, the House of Bishops met online to confirm its earlier decision to commend the prayers for use in regular public worship such as Sunday Eucharist or Evensong, agreeing this should take effect from this weekend.

Advent is a beautiful season that has been historically observed by Christians worldwide as a time of anticipation and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Rooted in centuries of tradition, Advent, from the Latin word "adventus," meaning "coming" or "arrival," is a period that holds profound significance for Bible-believing Christians.

It continued, "We, the Africa Anglican primates, meeting for fellowship and consultation, extend this message of solidarity to our brother, the Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, all the members of the Episcopal Church and the entire Sudanese community, both at home and abroad. We want to assure you of our ongoing prayers and steadfast support during these challenging times....