Bishops to fight 'abomination'
2004-10-25 20:10
Abuja - Africa's top Anglican bishops announced plans on Monday for a network of theological colleges to promote traditional beliefs after clashing with some Western churches on what one termed the "abomination" of homosexuality.
At a news conference on the eve of the first conference of Africa's Anglican prelates, Nigeria's Archbishop Peter Akinola took pains to emphasise that the bishops did not want their meeting to be dominated by sexuality.
He said this was a fringe issue for a continent with more-pressing problems.
But, afterwards, he was categorical in his denunciation of the Western dioceses that have ordained homosexual priests, blessed same-sex unions and, in one case, appointed an openly gay bishop.
"What we are saying is that the Bible says this is an abomination," he said.
Clearly on their minds
About 300 Anglican bishops from across Africa are gathering in the Nigerian city of Lagos for a week-long conference on issues facing the church and the people of religion and society.
The get-together has been planned since 2001.
Bishops said it had not been designed as a response to the recent bitter controversy within world Anglicanism about homosexuality.
The issue was in the news again last week when church headquarters in London released a report on the dispute.
But, the issue was clearly at the front of the clerics minds when they announced that, under the theme "Africa comes of Age", the conference would seek ways to build more of its own seminaries to protect young priests from the liberal ideas gaining ground in some Western theological colleges.
"The western world is embroiled in a new religion with which we cannot associate, and we need to find ways and means to establish our own theology," said Akinola.
He is chairperson of the African Council of Bishops and who, as primate of Nigeria, leads 17 million Anglicans, the church's biggest province.