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Nigeria: African bishops meet
26/10/2004 13:41 - (SA)
Abuja - A meeting with over 300 bishops from all over Africa was set to open in Nigeria on Tuesday, news reports said.
Although the gathering will discuss issues such as Aids, war and poverty, the overshadowing matter is expected to be a recent report urging the United States Episcopal Church to apologise for ordaining an openly gay priest earlier this year.
Most African bishops are firmly against gay people becoming priests, calling it "un-Biblical".
The host of the meeting, Nigerian archbishop Peter Akinola, was quoted by the British Broadcasting Corporation as saying "the Bible says that this an abomination and therefore we shall honour the integrity and sanctity of the word of God".
The outcome of the meeting in Nigeria is crucial to the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as the African bishops could decide to split from the rest of the movement.
The Anglican Communion has 70 million members worldwide, out of which half are in Africa - 17.5 million of them are in Nigeria alone.
The African churches are the fastest growing within the Anglican Communion. - dpa
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