AFRICAN ANTI-GAY BISHOPS SPEAK OUT

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The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Revd
Henry Luke Orombi.

African bishops attending an Anglican conference in Uganda this week have made clear their continued anti-gay stance.

The Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) All Africa Bishops’ Conference in Entebbe was opened with a sermon by the Archbishop of Cantebury Rowan Williams whose talk was met with a lukewarm response.

Although Williams did not directly mention the contentious issues of gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex relationships, he appears to be seen as a supporter of LGBT equality in the church by a number of the attending bishops.

“It is good Archbishop Rowan is here. We are going to express to him where we stand,” commented Ugandan Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, reported SAPA.

“Homosexuality is incompatible with the word of God,” he added.

Orombi is not a supporter of the anti-gay legislation pending in his country that seeks to impose the death penalty in certain cases of homosexual behaviour, but has previously made clear his belief that “homosexual practice has no place in God’s design of creation…”

Reverend Ian Ernest of Mauritius also affirmed his opposition to the church embracing its LGBT members and said that he had already severed ties with North American churches that have ordained female or gay or lesbian clergy.

“Today, the West is lacking obedience to the word of God,” he told journalists. “It is for us (Africans) to redress the situation.”

Williams has been struggling to hold the global Anglican Communion together in the face of the controversial issues, but some bishops expressed their belief at the conference that it is too late and a split has already taken place.

The Anglican Church in South Africa has been a lone voice in Africa calling for tolerance and acceptance of gay and lesbian people.

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