SAME-SEX marriages in church will be allowed from September 1 this year, the UK government has said.
The announcement comes after Secretary of State Brandon Lewis was criticised for delays in changes to the law.
At present, Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK or Ireland where such ceremonies are not allowed.
A government spokesperson said regulations would be tabled next week to allow the change to take effect in two months.
However, no church will be compelled to offer same-sex weddings.
The spokesperson also said that conversion regulations will follow "as soon as possible before the end of 2020”.
This would allow couples with a civil partnership to convert them to marriage through a simple administrative process.
The news has been welcomed by marriage equality campaigners.
Cara McCann, director of Here NI, which represents lesbian and bisexual women, urged Mr Lewis to "finish the job" by allowing couples to convert to married status "without further delay".
She said: "This affects around 1,200 couples in Northern Ireland, including me and my partner Amanda, who entered a civil partnership in the absence of same-sex marriage and who are currently unable to marry.”
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International, described it as "brilliant news for all the same-sex couples of faith".
Meanwhile, as part of the easing of coronavirus restrictions, weddings in Northern Ireland can take place indoors from today, in line with social distancing.
