Christians should pray for Prince George to be gay in order to force the Church of England to support same-sex marriage, a senior Anglican minister has said.

The Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth wrote in a blog post that Christians should hope that “the Lord blesses George with the love of a fine young gentleman” to help the progression of LGBTQ+ rights in the church.

He wrote: “If people don’t want to engage in campaigning in this way, they do in England have another unique option, which is to pray in the privacy of their hearts (or in public if they dare) for the Lord to bless Prince George with a love, when he grows up, of a fine young gentleman.

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“A royal wedding might sort things out remarkably easily, though we might have to wait 25 years for that to happen. Who knows whether that might be sooner than things working out by other means?”

Rev Holdsworth is a LGBTQ+ campaigner and the provost of St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, a Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church of England’s sister institution.

Currently same-sex couples are not allowed to marry in the Church of England, while The Scottish Episcopal Church voted to allow priests to decide for themselves.

Rev Holdsworth told The Independent that as leader of the Church of England, it is ultimately up to the Archbishop of Canterbury to decide the Church's stance on same-sex marriage.

“The question is really one for the Archbishop of Canterbury," he said.

"He is rightly enthusiastic about the upcoming royal wedding taking place in church. The trouble for him is that the same canon law (Canon B30) that he and the other bishops are prepared to find a way of ignoring when it comes to a divorcee marrying in church also would be said to be the reason gay couples can't get married in church.

“I want to ask, would the Archbishop be so enthusiastic if a member of the royal family wanted to marry a same-sex partner?”

The Archbishop announced that he was "delighted" that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would get married, despite Ms Markle being divorced. Both same-sex marriages and divorcees getting married in church are frowned on by the same church law.

Rev Holdsworth's blog post has prompted controversy, with former chaplain to the Queen, Rev Gavin Ashenden, describing it as praying "the child out of the intentions of God."

LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russia’s antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT “propaganda” allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this ‘crime’ since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty

Rev Ashenden told Christian Today: "It is an unkind and destabilising prayer. It is the theological equivalent of the curse of the wicked fairy in one of the fairy tales.

“To co-opt the Royal children to service a narrow sexual agenda seems particularly tasteless.”