The Church of Sweden on Thursday authorised the celebration of gay marriages, five months after they became legal, a spokesperson said.

Nearly 70 percent of the 250 members of the Lutheran church's synod voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples will be able to mary in its places of worship from 1 November, the spokesperson told AFP.

The Lutheran Church, which was the state church until 2000, had backed the parliament's adoption of the gay marriage law, which took effect on 1 May. But it deferred its synod's decision on church weddings until now.

Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, becomes one of the first countries in the world to allow gays to marry in a major Church.

Around three in four Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church.

The country's largest gay rights group, RFSL, welcomed the church's decision.

"RFSL congratulates the Church of Sweden for its decision, your homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," it said in a statement.

But the group was disappointed that minister can refuse to celebrate a gay marriage. In such cases, the Church should find another priest for the ceremony.

AFP

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