Church of England clergy will no longer be allowed to marry gay couples.
The announcement comes after five years of debate and consultation.
The recommendations, which establish the Church's teaching that holy matrimony exists only between a man and a woman, were finalized by the Church's bishops on Tuesday.
Same-sex couples - although not allowed to be married by priests in the Church of England - "may come to church to give thanks for their civil marriage or civil partnership and to receive God's blessing," a statement said.
Apologies
The matter will not be put to a vote in the Church's General Synod, the decision-making and legislative body, when it meets in London in February. However, the new recommendations are likely to be presented during the meeting.
The church plans to apologize to LGBTQI people for the "rejection, exclusion and hostility" they have faced in churches.
"Both personally and on behalf of my fellow bishops, I would like to express deep sorrow and sadness for the way LGBTQI people and those they love have been treated by the Church," said the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
"We are deeply saddened and ashamed and want to take this opportunity to begin again in the spirit of repentance that our faith teaches us," he continues.
Diversity of opinions
The consultations of recent years have shown the diversity of views within the Church of England on sexuality, relationships, and marriage, says Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
"I have no illusions that what we are proposing today will be seen as going too far for some, and not nearly far enough for others. But it is our hope that what we have agreed will be received in a spirit of generosity."
Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2013.