Africa rejects 'pink' money
2004-04-17 12:30
Nairobi - Africa's Anglican archbishops have vowed not to receive donations from western churches which support the ordination of gay priests.
"We do not want any money from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. This is not rhetoric. It is not a matter of a joke. We mean what we say," the chairperson of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa, Nigeria's
Archbishop Peter Akinola said, as the other clergymen nodded in affirmation.
Akinola was addressing a news conference in Kenya's capital Nairobi, on behalf of the continent's 12 archbishops, on Friday.
The conference followed a two-day meeting to review the African bishops' stand on homosexuality.
Five archbishops from Latin America, Asia and the Middle East also attended the gathering. The church in the four regions does not condone homosexuality.
"Those who have chosen a different path away from Anglican doctrines must repent and come back to the Anglican fold or be kicked out of the communion," Akinola said.
"We have recommended to the Lambeth Commission (in London) to take this clear line of disciplinary action against ECUSA because of what it has done."
He said the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (Ecusa) had violated Anglican teachings by supporting gay unions.
Last August the Episcopal church consecrated Gene Robinson, who had lived with a man for 13 years, as bishop of New Hampshire diocese.
The move prompted the majority of churches from Africa, Asia and Latin America to sever links with Robinson's diocese.
The Lambeth Commission was formed to gather views on homosexuality and look into measures to mend the differences that have threatened to tear apart the 450-year old Anglican Communion.
Serious
"We believe the commission will accept our recommendation because we represent more than half of the entire Anglican world," Akinola said.
Of the 70 million Anglicans worldwide, 42 million live in Africa.
To show their seriousness, the bishops issued a three-month ultimatum on Friday to the Episcopal Church of the United States to repent or face dismissal from the Anglican Church.
The church in Africa depends on funding from the west, particularly from the Episcopal Church of the United States to run its projects.
IPS could not establish how much money they received from the west. But Akinola said: "A few provinces have been receiving money for HIV/Aids programmes and rehabilitation projects.
"We have just requested our primates to get exact figures of what they have been getting from Ecusa and make them available by end of May. But at the moment, we don't have any figures." - Sapa-IPS
- SAPA