A VICAR who has pledged his support for plans to allow gay couples to adopt children today urged other churches to give their blessing to the controversial proposals.

The Rev Rodney Nicholson pleaded with his Church of England colleagues across East Lancashire not to withdraw support for the plans.

Mr Nicholson, vicar of St Paul's Church, Low Moor, Clitheroe, said the move by the Children's Society to allow applications from gay men and lesbians was made after "long and prayerful consideration" over five years.

Mr Nicholson, writing in the diocesan newspaper, The See, says: "The main reason, though there are others, why the Children's Society took this step was that it believed that in so doing it was putting the child's best interests first.

"There is no change in the Children's Society belief that a child is best brought up with a loving mother and father.

"The reality, however, is that there are about 10,000 children in residential care without such loving parents. Most of these are older children or have disabilities or behavioural problems resulting from neglect or family abuse.

"Many married couples who want to adopt a child are unwilling to consider these problem children. Some prefer to adopt a baby from abroad.

"The Children's Society was prepared to risk unpopularity by offering the possibility that an abused child might receive better care and support from a suitably vetted same sex couple than he or she was receiving at present."

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