Kenya church makes first break
2003-11-03 13:28
Nairobi - The Kenyan Anglican church on Monday severed ties with its US counterpart over the consecration of a gay bishop, as the first split emerged among 70 million faithful over the controversial move.
The decision to consecrate Gene Robinson also provoked furore in Nigeria, where the spiritual leaders of 50 million Anglicans in the developing world announced they were breaking off ties with the US church because the appointment violated biblical teaching.
"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," said Right Reverend Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Abuja and leader of the Nigerian Anglican community,
Akinola's statement was issued "for and on behalf of the working committee for the Primates of the Global South."
'Because it is a sin'
In Nairobi, Eldoret Diocese Bishop Thomas Kogo, who said he was speaking on behalf of the Kenyan Anglican establishment, said: "As a church, we are not going to support homosexuality in the church, primarily because it is a sin."
"And on that note, we have broken our links with the US Episcopal Church," said Kogo, adding that he was speaking on behalf of the Kenyan Anglican establishment.
He said the decision had already been made and that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams - the worldwide head of the Anglican church - had been informed. He added that the move would be formalised at a meeting of Kenyan Anglican bishops in two weeks.
"It is clear that those who have consecrated Gene Robinson have acted in good faith on their understanding of what the constitution of the American church permits," Williams continued.
"But the effects of this upon the ministry and witness of the overwhelming majority of Anglicans particularly in the non-western world have to be confronted with honesty."
"We need now to work very hard to giving new substance to this, and to pray for wisdom, patience and courage as we move forward."
In Australia one senior church leader said that Robinson would not be recognised as a bishop in much of the world, despite his consecration by the US Episcopalian Church.
Sydney's Archbishop Peter Jensen said the US church had succumbed to the "pervasive culture of permissiveness".
"Western culture is very individualistic, it's greedy and it's sexually permissive," Jensen said. "The church sometimes buckles under this and I'm afraid it has in this particular case.
"The new bishop is not going to be a bishop in much of the world," Jensen said. "He's not going to be recognised. This is opposed to God's word."
In Britain, Changing Attitude, which describes itself as "a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and straight" church members, said Bishop Robinson would "inspire" gays and lesbians with new confidence in the church.