Ndungane has mandate for summit

2003-09-22 17:51

Cape Town - Anglican archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane will go to a key meeting of the world's Anglican primates next month with a mandate to urge "dialogue and listening" on homosexuality.

The extraordinary meeting was called by the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, after the United States' Episcopal Church last month confirmed the election of actively gay bishop Gene Robinson.

The move has led to major controversy in the Anglican church, which has some 77-million members worldwide, with threats of schism from some conservatives.

Archbishop Peter Akinola, who heads the church in Nigeria, which with 17.5-million-members is the world's largest Anglican community, has condemned Robinson's election as "a Satanic attack on God's church."

Not of one mind on issue

The synod of bishops of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa's said in a statement released on Monday - which Njongonkulu will take with him to the meeting at Canterbury's Lambeth Palace on October 15 and 16 - that its members were "not of one mind" on the issue.

"However, we are of one mind in our desire to be loyal to the mind and heart of our Lord Jesus Christ...

"We are of one mind in our desire to dialogue and to facilitate such dialogue and listening among all out members.

"With this in mind, we are particularly determined to ensure that members of both homosexual and heterosexual orientation (and practice) are included in such dialogue."

The CPSA bishops speak on behalf of several million Anglicans in South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola and on the island of St Helena.

A resolution at the 1998 Lambeth Conference - a once-a-decade gathering of the world's Anglican bishops - condemned homosexuality as "incompatible with Scripture" and said homosexuals should not be ordained as priests.

However, in addition to Robinson's confirmation, the United States' Episcopal Church appears to have also sanctioned the blessing of gay relationships, a practice followed in one diocese in Canada.

One openly gay Anglican priest in SA

There is at least one openly gay priest in the church in South Africa - although he is expected to remain celibate, as the CPSA believes sex should take place only within marriage, and does not recognise same-sex marriages.

The South African bishops said in their statement that though they acknowledged that any province that repudiated the 1988 resolution posed a substantial problem for church unity, it had to be remembered that the Lambeth Conference was not a legislative body, and did not purport to lay down "Anglican law" for the 38 provinces.

"Thus, while most may regard it as profoundly regrettable, and even undermining of our communion, for any province to act contrary to the resolution in question, it cannot be said that they are acting uncanonically [not in accordance with church law]."

Great deal to learn about sexuality

The bishops said there was a great deal they still had to learn about the "gift and mystery" of human sexuality, and they supported all efforts to promote further study and research.

The CPSA recently initiated a series of consultations on homosexuality, to be run by the University of Natal's theology school.

The first of these will take place on October 22 in Pietermaritzburg.

Njongonkulu said on Monday that church leaders from all faiths had been invited to the consultation, along with representatives of gay and lesbian groupings and non-government organisations.

The theology school would also host an "All Africa" conference on sexuality sometime next year.

Njongonkulu, who consistently refuses to express a personal view on the matter, saying an archbishop speaks only the mind of the church, said the most important issue in the controversy was the interpretation of the scripture.

Asked what leadership he wanted to give the church, he said: "My sense of leadership is to open the debate between God's people and seek the mind of Christ on this issue."

He said the issue was on the agenda of the worldwide church and was "not going to go away.

"Our interest as the Anglican Church in southern Africa is to engage society, to engage our people, our members, so that people can be informed on these very critical issues and make informed decisions and be in a better way to understand and to respect other persons."

- SAPA