Episcopalians OK same-sex blessing - UPI.com INDIANAPOLIS, July 10 (UPI) -- Episcopalian officials in Indianapolis Tuesday approved, on a provisional basis, a policy allowing priests to conduct services blessing same-sex relationships. The House of Bishops first approved the service -- The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant -- at the church's national convention, and the House of Deputies followed suit, CNN reported. The policy change, which has been in development since 2009, makes the Episcopal Church the largest U.S. denomination to sanction same-sex relationships formally. The church says it has about 1.95 million members in the United States. Church spokeswoman Nancy Davidge said the blessing service is not a marriage ceremony, which requires the sanction of civil authorities. "We have authorized a blessing, and a blessing is different than a marriage," she said. A blessing is a theological response to a monogamous, committed relationship. The Episcopal policy provides for a three-year test of the service, as well as a review process, with church leaders evaluating at the next annual convention in Salt Lake City whether to make the blessing permanent, church spokeswoman Neva Rae Fox told CNN. The policy leaves up to local bishops the decision on whether to allow the blessing and forbids reprisals against clergy members who decline to perform the service because they object to same-sex unions.