epiScope

Bishop readies for next round

Key conference, book lie ahead for Robinson
By Michael Paulson
Boston (MA) Globe
March 25, 2008

CONCORD, N.H. - Five years after he was consecrated a bishop in a nearby hockey arena, wearing a bulletproof vest under his new golden vestments, Gene Robinson is bracing for another round of controversy.

Next month, his new book is to be published, and in it, amid the assertions of his deep faith in Jesus and a self-examination of his theological beliefs, are the emphatic expressions of disappointment in the leadership of his Anglican Church. Robinson is frustrated that those Anglican leaders, known as primates, asked for time to consider the issues but then refused to meet with him.

In June, Robinson plans to enter into a civil union with his partner of 20 years, Mark Andrew. He says he will do everything he can to keep photographers away, out of deference to those who find his same-sex relationship offensive, but he acknowledges that the event is likely to attract negative attention nonetheless.

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Request denied

Baldwin brings gay priest issue to light
Stephen J. Lee
Grand Forks Herald
March 21, 2008

A Grand Forks priest went public this Holy Week with her request to the Episcopal bishop of North Dakota for a license to minister here.

An associate professor of religion at UND, the Rev. Gayle Baldwin, 62, was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1980 in Wyoming. Before coming to UND in 2000, she served in several parishes, last in the Wyoming diocese, where she has a license to preach and administer the sacraments.

That’s where she was when she came out as a lesbian a decade ago.

She says she’s remained silent for 10 years. But, partly because the issue of gay clergy is dividing the Episcopal Church rather dramatically now, Baldwin decided to press the issue. She issued a letter this week to Episcopal leaders explaining her wish to be licensed in North Dakota.

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Lesbian priest says she wants license to minister in ND
March 21, 2008

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—A lesbian priest says she wants to start a dialogue with church leaders after the Episcopal bishop of North Dakota refused her request for a license to minister in the state.

The Rev. Gayle Baldwin, 62, an associate professor of religion at the University of North Dakota, was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1980. She came out as a lesbian a decade ago in Wyoming, where she has a license to preach and administer the sacraments. She came to UND in 2000.

Baldwin went public this week with a letter Episcopal leaders explaining her request to be licensed in North Dakota.

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'For the Bible Tells Me So' builds bridges

Documentary opens at Red River Friday
By Victoria Shouldis
The Concord Monitor
March 13, 2008

Daniel Kerslake never expected to make a movie exploring the biblical take on homosexuality. He never expected to gain the trust and full cooperation of New Hampshire's Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be named Bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Then he attended a Michael Moore movie.

Kerslake's movie For The Bible Tells Me So, looks at interpretations in religious texts about homosexuality, offering literal quotes countered by more contextual interpretations. Throughout, Kerslake personalizes the struggle between conservative Christianity and gays and lesbians and their families.

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The bishop's take
By VICTORIA SHOULDIS
The Concord Monitor
March 13, 2008

At the time he was asked to participate in For the Bible Tells Me So, Gene Robinson had been elected but not yet consecrated as New Hampshire Bishop of the Anglican Church. His election resulted in endless coverage and debate about his being the first openly gay bishop, and he was ready to take a giant step out of the public eye to focus his energy on his new role.

But he found himself saying yes to filmmaker Daniel Kerslake anyway.

"Well, as I've learned, I'm not going to be out of the limelight - that's not the way life is going to be for me," said Robinson earlier this week from Florida, where he is attending a conference. "More importantly, though, Daniel struck me as genuine and authentic in his presentation. A voice in my head told me to trust him, and I did. And that voice was right."

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AbC's "non-offer" rejected

Gay bishop criticises Williams for Lambeth snub
Riazat Butt
The Guardian (UK)
March 11 2008

The gay American bishop whose ordination caused ructions in the Anglican church has criticised the Archbishop of Canterbury for his failure to unite the communion.

Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, made the remarks after declining to attend the Lambeth conference, the 10-yearly gathering of the world's bishops, because his invitation was a "non-offer".

He told a spring gathering of the US Episcopal Church House of Bishops: "It has been a very difficult 48 hours sitting here and hearing your plans for Lambeth.

"In my most difficult moments it feels as if, instead of leaving the 99 sheep in search of the one, my chief pastor and shepherd, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has cut me out of the herd."

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Gay Bishop Out of Anglican Summit
By RACHEL ZOLL
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The first openly gay Episcopal bishop announced he will have no official role in a meeting this summer of world Anglican leaders, saying restrictions that organizers wanted to place on his involvement had caused him "considerable pain."

New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson had been told last year that he could not fully participate in the once-a-decade gathering in England, called the Lambeth Conference, as the world Anglican Communion sat on the brink of schism over his 2003 election.

Still, Episcopal leaders had been negotiating with the Anglican Communion Office to allow him to join the event in some capacity. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.

At a Texas meeting Monday night of the Episcopal House of Bishops, Robinson said that the final offer to include him was in effect a "non-offer," and he had declined it.

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Gay bishop won't attend conference
V. Gene Robinson said he would not have been allowed to actively participate in the global gathering of Anglicans in London.
By Rebecca Trounson
Los Angeles Times
March 11, 2008

The Episcopal Church's only openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, said Monday that he would not attend a global gathering of Anglicans in London this summer, telling fellow Episcopal leaders he had declined an offer that he said would not have allowed him to play any meaningful role at that meeting.

Robinson, who is attending a retreat this week in Texas with other Episcopal bishops, told the group he had decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference, after negotiations for him to participate or be granted official observer status had failed. His remarks were released by the Episcopal Church late Monday.

The Lambeth Conference is a once-a-decade gathering of leaders of the Anglican Communion, the world's third- largest Christian denomination. It is hosted by the archbishop of Canterbury, currently the Most Rev. Rowan Williams.

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Gay priest not welcome at world meeting
By Michael Conlon
Reuters
March 11, 2008

LEADERS of the US Episcopal Church were told that the gay man they elevated to bishop will not be allowed to attend a top, once-a-decade worldwide Anglican Church meeting this year.

"It feels as if, instead of leaving the 99 sheep in search of the one, my chief pastor and shepherd, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Rowan Williams), has cut me out of the herd," said Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, after receiving the definitive word that he will be excluded from the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conference in England.

It was the US church's consecration of Bishop Robinson in 2003 as the first bishop known to be in an openly gay relationship in more than four centuries of Anglican Church history that jolted the 77 million-member global church, already divided over biblical interpretation, the ordination of women and the blessing of same-sex unions.

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Gay bishop excluded from world church meeting
Malaysia Sun
11th March, 2008 

Leaders of the US Episcopal Church have been told that a gay man who was once elevated to bishop will be unable to attend the worldwide Anglican church meeting this summer.

According to Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, he has been told by his superiors in the Anglican Communion that he will be asked to stay away from the Lambeth Conference in England.

It is believed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, made the decision after the US branch of the Anglican church negotiated the issue in an effort to have Bishop Robinson attend the conference.

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Tradition

Big Picture: Gay and Lesbian Clergy
Nebraska TV
Feb 27, 2008

Gay and lesbian clergy are finding their way into churches across the country more than ever.

Associate Professor of Religion at Hastings College, Reverend Doctor David B. McCarthy said, "There have been gay and lesbian clergy for millennia, as long as there have been clergy."

Rev. Dr. McCarthy has been chaplain at Hastings College for 7 years. He says though gay and lesbian clergy have become more accepted, it's still controversial because of an individual's interpretation of readings.

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Rainbow stoles

Gay bishop talks of challenges, progress
By TINA LAM
Detroit FREE PRESS
February 10, 2008

In a hallway at the conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a rainbow display of stoles -- bright scarves worn by priests and ministers -- was on display. On each stole was a personal message from a church member or minister describing how churches had accepted or rejected them.

A white stole embroidered in purple was from Jim Maynard, an American Baptist Church pastor who resigned from the ministry in 1997 because he feared his being gay would be too divisive an issue for his congregation.

Rabbi Stacy Offner had sent a tallit, similar to a stole, celebrating becoming the first lesbian rabbi in Minnesota in 1984.

Bishop V. Gene Robinson knew how they all felt.

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Epiphanies

Removal vote nearing for Episcopal bishop
But Duncan avoids suspension in fight over church doctrine
January 17, 2008
By Ann Rodgers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Officials of the Episcopal Church have taken a first step toward removing theologically conservative Bishop Robert Duncan as head of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, but he dodged an ecclesiastical bullet when the three senior bishops of the church declined the presiding bishop's request to immediately suspend him.

Instead, all the bishops of the Episcopal Church will vote on whether to depose him, most likely at their fall meeting, for "abandoning the communion" of the Episcopal Church. "Communion" is a broad term that encompasses the beliefs, fellowship and structure of a church.

Bishop Duncan yesterday denied the charge.

"Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church," he said. "I will continue to serve and minister as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh."

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Episcopal church cracks down on dissidents
By Michael Conlon
Reuters
Jan 16, 2008

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Leaders of the U.S. Episcopal Church have stepped up a crackdown on conservative dissidents, ordering one bishop to stop his religious work and threatening a second with the same thing.

Both rebuffed the moves.

The worldwide Anglican church and its U.S. branch have been fractured since 2003 when the Episcopal Church consecrated Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as the first bishop known to be in an openly gay relationship in over four centuries.

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Bishop Duncan Avoids a Ban -- For Now
by Cary McMullen
Lakeland (FL) Ledger
January 16, 2008

According to a story on the Web site of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has notified Bishop Robert Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh that a review committee has formally found that Duncan has "abandoned the communion of the church" and narrowly avoided being slapped with an "inhibition," which would have forbidden him from acting in the capacity of a priest or bishop. This follows last week's similar action against Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin (Calif.). Schofield was inhibited, but a panel of bishops (which included South Florida Bishop Leo Frade) refused to give Schori permission to take the same action against Duncan, for reasons that were not made public. Shortly after receiving notice from Schori, Duncan issued a statement denying the allegation: "Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church. I have not abandoned the Communion of this Church."

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Episcopal Church Acts Against Pittsburgh Bishop
WTAE (Pittsburgh)
January 16, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- An Episcopal committee says that conservative Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has "abandoned the communion of this church" -- a potential first step toward stripping him of religious authority in the denomination.

The committee blocked the national Episcopal Church from imposing the penalty of "inhibition," which would have barred him from performing religious duties. But the Episcopal House of Bishops is expected to consider imposing the punishment near the end of this year.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who notified Duncan that he had abandoned the communion on Tuesday, told Duncan that she sought permission to inhibit him.

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Episcopal Church acts against Pittsburgh bishop
Associated Press
January 17, 2008

An Episcopal committee says that conservative Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has "abandoned the communion of this church" _ a potential first step toward stripping away his religious authority in the denomination.

Senior bishops in the Episcopal Church blocked the national church from imposing the penalty of "inhibition," which would have barred him from performing religious duties. But the Episcopal House of Bishops is expected to consider imposing the punishment near the end of this year.

The Pittsburgh diocese wants to split from the U.S. denomination and join another province of the Anglican Communion, a loose-knit worldwide fellowship of churches that aligns itself with the Church of England. The Pittsburgh diocese also wants like-minded conservative parishes outside the 11-county western Pennsylvania jurisdiction to be able to join them.

In a statement, Duncan says he hasn't abandoned the church and will "continue to serve and minister."

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Religious freedom in Fresno
Andrew Fiala
San Francisco Chronicle
Open Forum
January 17, 2008

The drama regarding the Episcopalian Church in Fresno shows us the complexity of the ideal of religious liberty. Americans are right to celebrate the separation of church and state. But we must acknowledge that religious liberty means that religions are free to espouse views that many of us believe are intolerant. This works so long as church and state remain separate.

Last month, a substantial majority of Episcopalians here in Fresno voted to leave the American Episcopal Church and align with the Church of the Southern Cone. The immediate cause of this fissure was the Episcopal Church's changing view of homosexuality and marriage. According to the more conservative reading of the Bible propounded by the Fresno Episcopalians, the church should not approve homosexual relationships or ordain homosexual clergy.

The Episcopal Church responded last week by "inhibiting" John-David Schofield, the bishop of San Joaquin. This means that he is prohibited him from carrying out his ministerial duties. In reply, Schofield claims that because he is no longer a member of the Episcopal Church, the order of inhibition does not apply to him.

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Hues and cries

The Church's true colours
Simon Edge
The New Statesman (UK)
10 January 2008

After three decades of trying to promote tolerance towards gay and lesbian Christians, the lead advocate is leaving, disillusioned

It is a favourite mantra among those loyal to new Labour that Britain is a much better place today than it was a decade ago - forward-looking, cosmopolitan and above all tolerant. The evidence often invoked on the last score is the emanci pation of lesbians and gay men. Riding high on law reform, the civil partnerships revolution and steadily increasing visibility from the cabinet to reality TV, many gay campaigners would agree.

But that is not how it appears if you are Reverend Richard Kirker, who is about to step down after nearly 30 years as head of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM). For the first half of that time, he fought a lonely battle to get church leaders to discuss sexuality. Now it's hard to get them to talk about anything else, but not in the way he had in mind. Homosexuality is at the centre of a global struggle for the soul of the Anglican Communion, and as gay people are accused of bestiality and demonic possession, the Church seems to have become a repository for the homophobia unacceptable in the rest of society.

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Progressive

Leader of St. Francis worked to be 'inclusive, progressive, liberal'
By Kerry Wills
Stamford (CT) Advocate
November 23 2007

STAMFORD - After nearly 30 years as pastor of St. Francis Episcopal Church in North Stamford, the Rev. Richard Mayberry retired Sunday.

Mayberry, 62, led the congregation to be a model for inclusive church practices, hiring female priests decades before they were widely accepted and, in 2000, adding a Lutheran minister to the staff. A series of forums this fall invited congregants to voice their views on gay unions and marriage.

The church's motto is "Inclusive: Because Diversity was God's Idea."

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Susan Carter: To society, just one key question: 'Ain't I a human?'
Sojourner Truth's challenge still applicable today
Lansing (MI) State Journal
November 23, 2007

In November 2003, V. Gene Robinson was consecrated bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, having been elected by church members to serve as their spiritual leader. The election left the worldwide Anglican Communion divided over the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop; in the U.S. four dioceses have begun the process of leaving the national church.

The question has been four-square in the news. Members of many faiths, often facing their own questions about gay clergy, are carefully watching the issue in the Episcopal Church.

As a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church who is gay, and a postulant for ordination to the priesthood, I was struck by Sojourner Truth's call for justice. She has inspired my perspective on efforts to diminish others.

"Ain't I a woman?"

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Bible study

The relevant Scriptures on homosexuality
By Manya A. Brachear
Chicago Tribune
November 18, 2007

It's easy to look at homosexuality as the dominant issue dividing Protestant denominations today. But a deeper look shows that the debate over homosexuality goes beyond whether it is morally wrong.

A more profound question is at stake here: How should people of faith interpret the Bible?

What the Bible has to say about anything is a code that sleuths and scholars have been trying to crack for centuries. That the latest riddle concerns homosexuality does not set it apart from previous debates about other biblical missives and mandates. It's just that this one threatens to tear apart the Episcopal Church.

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Obsession and speculation

Tutu criticises 'gay obsession'
Liverpool Daily Post
Nov 18 2007

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has criticised his own church for being "obsessed" with homosexuality.

The South African Nobel laureate said God "must be weeping" at seeing that the Church had such misplaced priorities. He also criticised the present Archbishop of Canterbury for not demonstrating the attributes of a "welcoming God".

Speaking to Michael Buerk for a special Radio 4 programme, Archbishop Tutu, 76, said: "Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and Aids - a devastating pandemic, and conflict. God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another. In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."

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Dr Rowan Williams to target pro-gay bishops
By Jonathan Petre
Daily Telegraph
19 November 2007

The Archbishop of Canterbury is preparing to target individual bishops whose pro-gay policies threaten to derail his efforts to avert schism, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

In a high-risk strategy, Dr Rowan Williams may even snub them by withdrawing their invitations to next year's Lambeth Conference.

He has told friends he will challenge any bishop he believes is coming to the conference with an agenda "very much at odds" with his attempts to maintain unity in the worldwide Church.

Dr Williams sent invitations in May to most of the Anglican Church's 880 bishops around the world for the once-a-decade showcase gathering in Canterbury.

It's all here ...and you know, when the Wikipedia guys post an piece like this, they mark it "articles with unsourced statements"...such as...

JSC: TEC OK

Panel Says Episcopalians Have Met Anglican Directive
By NEELA BANERJEE
New York Times
October 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 — In a victory for the Episcopal Church in its effort to remain in the Anglican Communion, a high-ranking Anglican advisory committee said Wednesday that Episcopal bishops had complied with a directive by Anglican leaders on same-sex unions and gay bishops.

The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the 77-million-member Anglican Communion, which has been torn by disputes over the church’s liberal stance on homosexuality.

Earlier this year, the communion’s regional leaders, or primates, issued a directive to the Episcopal Church to curtail the consecration of partnered gay and lesbian bishops and the authorizing of rites of blessing for same-sex unions.

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Anglican Panel Praises Episcopalians
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 3, 2007

A world Anglican panel acknowledged Wednesday that Episcopal bishops are making some concessions to ease the turmoil they created in 2003 by consecrating their church's first openly gay bishop.

But the committee said that all sides in the long-running conflict over the Bible and homosexuality need to do much more to keep the beleaguered worldwide Anglican fellowship from splitting.

The advisory report from the lay-clergy Joint Standing Committee was written for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, as he struggles to prevent a schism in the 77-million-member Anglican Communion.

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Anglican leaders urge unity
A key panel responds to Episcopal bishops' pledge of restraint on issues that have threaten the worldwide communion.
By Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times
October 4, 2007

Leaders of the global Anglican Communion responded largely positively Wednesday to pledges from the Episcopal Church to use restraint in consecrating gay bishops and other contentious matters.

But an influential joint standing committee of Anglican bishops, clergy and lay leaders also called on all sides in the continuing debate over homosexuality and biblical authority to work harder to ease their differences and keep the 77-million-member Anglican Communion intact. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of Anglicanism.

The panel's report to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican Communion's spiritual leader, came in response to a statement by Episcopal bishops last week at a meeting in New Orleans.

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African Anglican bishops steer away from gay row
By Ed Harris
Reuters
Oct 4, 2007 1

QUATRE BORNES, Mauritius, Oct 4 (Reuters) - African Anglican archbishops ducked homosexuality, the issue dividing the worldwide Communion, on Thursday and instead drew attention to the poorest continent's problems.

Last month Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, one of the Church's fiercest critics of gay rights, blasted bishops from the U.S. Episcopal Church for "ignoring" pleas to take a clear stand against consecrating gay clergy or blessing gay unions.

Chairing a meeting of African archbishops in Mauritius, Akinola was at pains to avoid the topic.

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White Anglicans accused of pressuring African churches on anti-gay agenda
By staff writers
Ekklesia
4 Oct 2007

Lesbian and gay Christians in the UK have criticised primarily white conservative Christians for pressurising African Anglican leaders to back them, and have said that the US Episcopal Church's compromise in saying it will not ordain gay people or bless partnerships at the moment is likely to backfire.

The response comes after a press release from the conservative Church Society network in England, effectively telling African Anglican churches meeting in Mauritius over the next few days to take a series of measures to outlaw Western churches who take a different view to them.

The bishops will be meeting under the banner of CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa) which includes the provinces of Burundi, Congo, Central Africa, Egypt, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and West Africa. CAPA is chaired by Archbishop Peter Akinola - an outspoken opponent of recognising lesbian and gay people.

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Rift over gay clergy cools down for now

A split in the Episcopal Church appears to have been repaired for now after U.S. bishops reached a compromise on gay clergy.
BY JAMES H. BURNETT III
Miami Herald
Sep. 29, 2007

Four years after a feud erupted in the Episcopal Church over the appointment of a gay bishop and the formal blessing of same-sex unions, a surprising thing happened at the church's House of Bishops assembly in New Orleans last week: The dispute appeared to cool -- for now.

''I say it was nothing short of a small miracle,'' says Bishop Leo Frade, of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida.

But that doesn't mean vocal opinions don't remain on both sides of the issue.

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God, gays and Episcopalians
The church's split over homosexuality reflects more than religious convictions.
L.A. Times
September 29, 2007

The U.S. Episcopal Church this week tried to appease conservative fellow Anglicans at home and abroad by reaffirming a promise to "exercise restraint" in approving sexually active gay bishops. The conciliatory statement, which followed some ecclesiastical shuttle diplomacy by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, fell on mostly deaf ears among conservatives. One dismissed it as a "delaying tactic."

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Tireless Shuttle Diplomacy
Archbishop of Canterbury, on Trip to U.S., Wins Compromise in Bid to Avoid Anglican Church Split
By Bruce Nolan
Religion News Service
September 29, 2007

NEW ORLEANS

His admirers describe him as a brilliant theologian with the soul of a poet, but it's the work of a diplomat -- a church diplomat -- that brought the archbishop of Canterbury here last week.

Archbishop Rowan Williams's 77 million-member Anglican Communion is in full-body spasm, seemingly on the verge of tearing itself apart over issues of homosexuality and the church.

For years, the 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church -- the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion -- has steadily marched toward consensus that homosexual relationships are not necessarily sinful; that gay men and lesbians may become bishops; and that the unions of gay couples may be sanctified.

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Politics and prayers

Kenya: Politicians, Clergy in Prayer Meeting
Alex Ndegwa
East African Standard (Nairobi)
12 September 2007

Leaders of political parties will meet Church heads Wednesday, at a forum on electoral violence.

This will be the first of a series of campaigns lined up by the mainstream religious groups in the run-up to the December General Election.

The climax will be a peace-pledge campaign scheduled for September 21, which President Kibaki and his key opponents are expected to attend. The highlight will be the lighting of a peace torch.

The lobbying comes in the wake of a recent move by Parliament to shoot down a proposed legislation that would have criminalised hate speech.
…
Guest speakers at the forum include, Anglican Church Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, Head of the Civil Service, Mr Francis Muthaura, Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman, Mr Samuel Kivuitu and career diplomat, Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat.

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Archbishop Orombi speaks out on Museveni
Sunday Vision (UGANDA)

ARCHBISHOP Henry Luke Orombi has dismissed allegations that there is friction between him and President Yoweri Museveni.

“My relationship with the President is very good,” the Anglican Archbishop said in an interview with Sunday Vision.

“I look at the President as someone God has chosen to be a leader. The duration of that leadership is God’s decision.”

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Museveni was chosen by God to lead Uganda
Archbishop Orombi

THE Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, recently consecrated a US bishop, John Guernsey, to oversee those congregations that broke away from the US Episcopal Church after the ordination of a homosexual bishop four years ago. Alfred Wasike talked to Orombi about corruption and sowing in the church, homosexuality, fake pastors and his relationship with State House. Below are excerpts.

Sections of the media recently reported friction between you and President Yoweri Museveni. They say he once summoned you to State House late at night with intent to arrest you after you disagreed with him over presidential term limits? Is it true the two of you don’t get on well?

That is a load of rubbish. I will tell you why. There are people who will always fabricate stories to implicate me. Take for instance this one about the President and me not getting on well.

It is an old story, which was fabricated during the presidential campaigns and published in a local daily. The fabricator’s agenda was to decampaign the President by driving a wedge between him and me.

My relationship with the President is very good. I look at the President as someone God has chosen to be a leader. The duration of that leadership is God’s decision. I believe Museveni is not what people want him to be or think he is. Every leader has problems with people around him who use his name to do wicked things.

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Sin

Land of Reggae and Homophobia
Jamaica's intolerant attitude toward gays runs counter to its unofficial motto, 'No problem, mon.'
By Joe Contreras
Newsweek International
Sept 7, 2007

Sept. 8, 2007 - While governments in a number of Latin American countries and elsewhere begin to recognize the legal rights of same-sex partners, Jamaica is bolstering its image as one of the most virulently anti-gay societies in the Western Hemisphere. Between February and July of this year, 98 gay men and lesbians were targeted in 43 different mob attacks, according to the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays. Four lesbians were raped, four gay men were murdered, and the houses of two gay men were burned down. On Valentine’s Day the police took two hours to reach a Kingston pharmacy where a crowd shouting anti-gay epithets had cornered three men; then the constables allegedly attacked an activist who had tried to help the men, striking him in the abdomen with a rifle butt and slapping him repeatedly in the face.

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Most Christians agree homosexuality is a sin
BY TIMOTHY R. FURNISH
Cincinnati Enquirer
September 7, 2007

Not all American Lutherans agree with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's decision to "encourage bishops to accept gay clergy," as "Your Voice" columnist Debby Rieselman put it ("Lutherans' opening up to gays a loving act," Aug. 25).

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the second largest Lutheran denomination in America, agrees with the 95 percent of the world's 2 billion Christians - including the largest denomination, the Roman Catholic Church - that homosexuality is a sin. By abandoning that view, the ELCA aligns itself with a small percentage of renegade Protestant groups, such as the Episcopal Church in America (ECUSA). Both it and the ELCA are hemorrhaging members.

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Lesbian priest makes list for Chicago bishop

Episcopalians have mixed opinions
By Manya A. Brachear
Chicago Tribune
August 29, 2007

Though global Anglican leaders have urged the U.S. church to unequivocally exclude gay bishops by next month, an openly lesbian Episcopal priest is among the five nominees for bishop of the Chicago diocese announced Tuesday.

Rev. Tracey Lind, who followed Chicago Bishop William Persell as dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, is one of three women named as finalists to replace Persell, who plans to resign after his successor is installed. It is the first slate of candidates in the diocese to include women.

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Sacerdote lesbiana es candidata a obispo episcopal de Chicago
HoustonChronicle.com en Español    
Aug. 28, 2007

La Diócesis Episcopal de Chicago incluyó el martes a una sacerdote lesbiana declarada en su lista de nominados a obispo mientras que los feligreses anglicanos exigen que la Iglesia prohíba los obispos homosexuales.

La reverendo Tracey Lind, rectora de la Catedral Trinity en Cleveland, quien tiene una pareja mujer, estará en la papeleta del 10 de noviembre.

Es todo aquí …

Illinois: Lesbian Is a Finalist for Bishop
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The New York Times
August 29, 2007

An openly lesbian priest is one of five candidates nominated by a search committee to be the next Episcopal bishop of Chicago. The nomination of the priest, the Very Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, came as a surprise because the Episcopal Church passed a resolution at its last general convention calling on dioceses to “exercise restraint” by not consecrating any more openly gay bishops. The Episcopal Church has been under pressure from fellow churches in the Anglican Communion to declare a moratorium on gay bishops, a response to the election in 2003 of an openly gay bishop by the Diocese of New Hampshire. The election in the Diocese of Chicago is Nov. 10.

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The devil wears purple?

Millions believe this man is the Antichrist
ANDREW COLLIER

FORTY years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, American The Rt Rev V Gene Robinson, the world's first openly gay bishop, explains to ANDREW COLLIER in an exclusive interview what it's like to be many Christians' number one enemy.

THE Devil has arranged to meet me in the lobby of a London tourist hotel. It's an odd choice of venue: Westminster Cathedral, the great temple of Roman Catholicism in England, is close by; and a glimpse of the fire and colour of Hell would have been more interesting.

Nor does he look like Satan. No horns, no tail, no pitchfork, no smoke and sulphur. He's of medium height, thinning hair, wearing a smart shirt and tie. He's immediately warm, friendly, open and assured. I like him.

Yet millions of Christians the world over are convinced - absolutely assured - that this man is the Antichrist. They believe he is the Devil, sent to destroy the church from within. Welcome to the fan club of the Rt Rev V Gene Robinson, Primate of the American diocese of New Hampshire and the world's first openly gay bishop.

It’s all here … and +Gene is not a primate, nor is his second name Imogene...

Without gay priests Church would be lost claims Bishop Gene
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
The Times of London
July 27, 2007

The openly gay bishop whose ordination sparked the crisis in the Anglican Communion has claimed the Church of England would be close to shutting down if it was forced to manage without its gay clergy.

The Bishop of New Hampshire in the US, the Right Rev Gene Robinson, who is divorced and lives openly in partnership with a gay man, said he found it "mystifying" that the mother church of the Anglican Communion was unable to be honest about the number of gay clergy in its ranks.

He said many of the English church's clergy lived openly in their rectories with gay partners, with the full knowledge of their bishops. But he criticised the stance of bishops who threaten the clergy with emnity should their relationships become public.

It’s all here …

Invitation lists

Gay bishop invited to Lambeth
Ruth Gledhill
Times Online
June 29, 2007

The gay American bishop Gene Robinson, whose consecration in 2003 brought the worldwide Church to the brink of schism, is to be invited to the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Church next summer, The Times has learnt.

The decision to include the bishop on the guest list makes a boycott by bishops of the Nigerian Church more likely.

The Times understands that Bishop Gene will be able to attend meetings as an official guest but will not have the right to vote on motions at the conference - the meeting of leaders of the world wide Anglican communion which takes place every 10 years.

Martyn Minns, bishop of the conservative Convocation of Anglicans in North America, which is sponsored by the Church of Nigeria, remains off the Lambeth guest list.

It’s all here …

Nigerian man to speak tonight on being gay in his native land
Possible peril: criminalization of homosexuality
By Stephanie Innes
Arizona Daily Star
06.29.2007

The notice on the Anglican Church of Nigeria's Web site warns of a man named Davis Mac-Iyalla: Anyone relating to him does so at his or her own risk.

Mac-Iyalla, a 35-year-old openly gay Nigerian, will be in Tucson tonight as part of a 20-city tour titled "Journey of Truth" to talk about what it's like to be gay in a country that's considering criminalizing homosexuality.

That proposed Nigerian law, which would make homosexuality a crime punishable by prison, has been condemned by the U.S. State Department, the European Union and the United Nations, though it has been supported by religious bodies in Nigeria.

Mac-Iyalla says that contrary to what the Anglican Church of Nigeria claims, he's a devout believer and a faithful member of the church. He is currently living in exile in Togo because of the death threats he received in Nigeria since publicly declaring his homosexuality in 2005. His supporters say he has served as an inspiration to faithful gay Africans.

It’s all here …

Anglican church hypocritical: reverend
ROBYN YOUNG
The Halifax Daily News

A Halifax reverend is disappointed the Anglican church continues to shy away from blessing same-sex unions.

Rev. Malachy Egan of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Spryfield said the Anglican church is a den of hypocrisy. "The Anglican church, in my opinion," he said, "is very much a gay church."

Last weekend, bishops, clergy and laity of the Anglican Church of Canada gathered in Winnipeg for a General Synod, part of which included a vote on the blessing of same-sex unions within the church.

The allowance of such blessings was lost by two votes, a decision that will not be revisited for another three years.

It’s all here …

Stand up and speak

Gay rights, church's 'defining moment'
Stuart Laidlaw, Faith and Ethics Reporter
Toronto Star
Apr 15, 2007

OTTAWA–Retired Connecticut Bishop Arthur Walmsley can only watch from the sidelines as his beloved Anglican church rips itself apart over gay rights – and he couldn't be more proud, however much the process saddens him.

"It's a defining moment for the church," Walmsley, bishop from 1979 to 1993, told the Whole Message Conference on gay rights in the church yesterday.

The U.S. Episcopal Church, as Anglicanism is known in that country, has been given until Sept. 30 by the worldwide Anglican communion to renounce its support for gay clergy and same sex marriage blessings, or face expulsion.

At a meeting in Texas last month, however, the U.S. House of Bishops, of which Walmsley was once a member, voted to stick by its principles – even if it means splitting the church.

It’s all here … and note please that retired bishops are still members of TEC’s House of Bishops …

Fractures

Gay bishop says church can heal, to discuss issue at VU
Sewanee grad, now New Hampshire Episcopal leader, says furor stuns him
By ANITA WADHWANI
The Tennessean
Friday, 04/13/07

The man at the center of a controversy that threatens to shatter the worldwide Anglican church remains hopeful that his church can heal.

Bishop Gene Robinson, a graduate of the University of the South, is the first openly gay bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church. More than 20 churches have split from the Episcopal Church in protest over his consecration in New Hampshire, and worldwide leaders of the Anglican church have issued a stern call to the U.S. church to fall back to a more conservative stand on homosexuality and gay marriage.

Robinson, who is in Nashville today to speak at Vanderbilt University, remains quietly astonished over the controversy.

It’s all here …

Church divided: Disagreements, international issues fracturing congregations
By Darryn Simmons
Montgomery Advertiser
April 13, 2007

Robert Fuller never thought he would be without a church home, but he is.

For 50 years, Old Elam Missionary Baptist Church had been a part of his life. Now he's spending his Sundays picketing it. Fuller is one of the members of Old Elam at odds with the Rev. John Gilchrist over disclosure of church financial records and what Fuller describes as the pastor's intimidating management style.

"I wish it hadn't gotten to this point," Fuller said, "but it has and we're going to ride it out."

Gilchrist denies he has done anything wrong. He blames a small group of outspoken members and former members.

More and more congregations are finding themselves divided. The issues range from administrative and financial, like those at Old Elam, to the ordination of women as bishops or the consecration of an openly gay Episcopalian bishop.

It’s all here …

Anglican Church in crisis

Fired for being gay, ex-priest pushes for blessings of same-sex unions
Mar 31, 2007 04:30 AM
Stuart Laidlaw
Toronto (ON/CA) Star

Jim Ferry, bullied as a boy and forced from the pulpit of his Unionville church because he is gay, says it's time for the Anglican Church to bring gays and lesbians into the fold – even if it means splitting the church apart.

After all, he says, Christians have long embraced different interpretations of the scriptures, leading to historic splits within the faith.

"Let's take a look at church history for 2,000 years. There have always been breakdowns in relationships and people going off in their own directions," Ferry, whose firing as a priest 15 years ago made headlines around the world, said in an exclusive interview with the Star.

"Sometimes it's a necessary thing in order for people to honour their particular vision of the gospel," he said.

Missed this one a couple days ago, but it’s still all here … and the Rev. Jim Ferry’s story is told in his 1994 book In the Courts of the Lord.

Clash of cultures

Unsettled Times For Episcopalians
By Jeff Wright
The Register-Guard
Published: Friday, March 16, 2007

Worldwide Anglican leaders' views on human sexuality are of more than passing interest to an Episcopal church in south Eugene, where the priest is gay and the board president is a lesbian who hopes to be ordained.

At an Episcopal church in west Eugene, meanwhile, a priest likens the issue to "the elephant in the living room" - a subject that few are eager to discuss after a similar debate four years ago spurred an exodus of about 20 families.

As in other Protestant denominations, the country's 2.3 million Episcopalians have long wrestled with the topic of homosexuality - and have landed somewhere in the middle. The church welcomes gays and lesbians into the pew and pulpit, but has no formal liturgy allowing for the blessing of same-sex couples.

For many Episcopalians, the debate is not with one another but with the 77-million member Anglican Communion, of which they are a part. The communion consists of 44 churches around the world with historic ties to the Church of England.

It’s all here …

Solution elusive as churches weary of gay clergy debate

Many members say they would like to move on to religious missions.

By JOHN BLAKE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 02/05/07

Ron Miller is a member of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta who says he would have "no problem at all" accepting a gay pastor.

But the genial church elder says he'd rather focus on something else — and so should other churches.

It's all here...