Anglican backlash over gay bishop

Anglicans did not have to wait long for the backlash following the consecration of a gay bishop by the allied Episcopal church in the US.

The Anglican Church of Nigeria - with 17 million members - today refused to recognise Sunday’s consecration of openly gay Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.

The Ugandan Anglican church cut all ties with the New Hampshire diocese.

In Australia, the conservative Anglican archbishop of Sydney today branded Robinson as a “bishop of disunity” and said his consecration had split the global Anglican communion.

The Anglican Church of Egypt said it would not recognise the first openly gay bishop and considers those who participated in his consecration separated from the church.

In a statement issued on behalf of the primates of the “global south,” Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola said the consecration of Gene Robinson demonstrates that parts of the US church “consider their cultural-based agenda is of far greater importance than obedience to the word of God.”

“The overwhelming majority of the Primates of the Global South cannot and will not recognise the office or ministry of Canon Gene Robinson as a bishop,” the statement said.

“We deplore the act of those bishops who have taken part in the consecration, which has now divided the church in violation of their obligation to guard the faith and unity of the church.”

The statement called on the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams, to create new structures of “Episcopal oversight” to enable church members who break relations with the US Episcopal Church over the issue to remain in fellowship with the global Anglican Church.

“We are appalled that the authorities within the Episcopal Church USA have ignored the heartfelt plea of the communion not to proceed with the scheduled consecration,” the statement said.

“The admission of homosexuals in the church is unacceptable to the church,” said Stanley Ntagari, a spokesman for Ugandan Anglicans.

“The church of Uganda will break communion with the New Hampshire diocese and we do not recognise that man as a bishop.”

Ntagari said the Ugandan Anglican’s move was in line with a decision made last month by the world’s Anglican leaders, who affirmed their opposition to same-sex relations at an emergency meeting in London.

New Hampshire’s retiring Bishop Douglas Theuner said Robinson would “stand as a symbol of the unity of the church,

Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen said: “Of course, the exact reverse is the truth. He is a disuniting bishop and he has been put forward in the face of an immense amount of opposition.”

Jensen said he was saddened by the appointment “because the word of God teaches us clearly what the standards are for Christian behaviour in leaders and Canon Robinson does not fulfil those requirements.”

He said: “This creates a split for the first time in a particular area and that’s a tragedy but it’s necessary if the truth is to be preserved.

Jensen was also critical of the stance taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury: “I myself would have preferred if the archbishop had spoken more clearly however about the fact that this is against the Bible and should not have gone ahead because it is against God’s word.”

In New Zealand, the Anglican Bishop of Wellington told parishioners he regretted Robinson’s ordination.

The Right Rev Thomas Brown has written to parishes in his charge saying that Anglicans regard homosexual practice as ”incompatible with scripture” and that same sex marriages should not be blessed.

In Cairo, Bishop Mounee Hanna Anis, head of the Episcopal Church in Egypt and North Africa, condemned the consecration.

“Those who participated in the consecration of this gay bishop are considered among the violators of the teachings of the Holy Book, and therefore, they have become dissociated with Jesus’ church,” Anis said.

“Homosexuality is a clear sin, but unfortunately it has become among the acceptable issues in some Western societies.”