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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyFebruary 9th, 2010
Anglican Church of Uganda Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi
See important updates below.
This is a very surprising turn of events, considering that just last fall the head of the Ugandan Anglican Church questioned the “need” for the death penalty in the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Now, Christianity Today reports that the Church of Uganda has endorsed the bill, but suggests the following amendments:
- Ensure that the law protects the confidentiality of medical, pastoral and counseling relationships, including those that disclose homosexual practice in accordance with the relevant professional codes of ethics.
- Language that strengthens the existing Penal Code to protect the boy child, especially from homosexual exploitation; to prohibit lesbianism, bestiality, and other sexual perversions; and to prohibit procurement of material and promotion of homosexuality as normal or as an alternative lifestyle, be adopted.
- Ensure that homosexual practice or the promotion of homosexual relations is not adopted as a human right.
- Existing and future Educational materials and programmes on gender identity and sex education are in compliance with the values and the laws of Uganda.
- The involvement of additional stakeholders in the evaluation of the gaps in the existing legislation, including, but not limited to, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, its Department of Immigration and other relevant departments.
- The undertaking of a comprehensive legislative and literature review of all the laws and literature related to the subject at hand in order to identify the actual gaps in the existing legislations.
In fact, this recommendation amounts to a tacit opinion that the draconian bill, even in its breathtaking scope and breadth, doesn’t go far enough as far as the Anglican Church in Uganda is concerned. It also represents a rift between the Ugandan Church and the Anglican Communion’s head, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who quietly and meekly condemned the proposed legislation in December.
A number of Conservative Anglican churches in the U.S. have sought to align themselves with the Anglican Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, in an ongoing schism taking place here in America. Those American parishes are now fully aligned with an overseer who is on record as being perfectly fine with unleashing a genocidal wave against LGBT people in Uganda.
Update: Uganda’s largest independent newspaper Daily Monitor has a different take from The Christian Post. The Monitor calls the Anglican statement a “rejection” of the bill. According to the Monitor, the statement calls for the bill’s withdrawal and existing laws modified to specifically address child exploitation and bestiality. Without access to the statement itself, it’s hard to know how to reconcile the two accounts. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
Click here to see BTB\’s complete coverage of the past year\’s anti-gay developments in Uganda.
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Ben in Oakland
February 9th, 2010
Meanwhile, nigeria is falling apart, and where is bishop akinola?
BCCanuck
February 9th, 2010
PinkNews reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury is “profoundly sorry” for his comments on homosexuality:
The Archbishop said: “The debate over the status and vocational possibilities of LGBT people in the church is not helped by ignoring the existing facts, which include many regular worshippers of gay or lesbian orientation and many sacrificial and exemplary priests who share this orientation.
“There are ways of speaking about the question that seem to ignore these human realities or to undervalue them; I have been criticised for doing just this, and I am profoundly sorry for the carelessness that could give such an impression.”
So yes, there is a rift. The tares from the wheat, so to speak.
Ben in Oakland
February 9th, 2010
What i meant to say was that another African Anglican bishop has made get-the-queers as the centerpiece of his national “policy”, and the weak tea archbishop of Canterbury basically said nothing. Nigeria is being torn apart by sectarian strife– no big surprise there, and it is all exacerbated by its monumental problems of poverty, petropolitics, water, education and so forth.
Amazing how much the real peace and prosperity– domestic tranquility, as it were– of yet another country are being sacrificed on the altar of anti-gay prejudice. It is not homosexuality that causes the downfall of nations, but the hatred of homosexuals.
And probably yet one more example of straight people behaving badly– and i’m sure we’ll get the blame for it.
Feh.
Ben in Oakland
February 9th, 2010
“I have been criticised for doing just this, and I am profoundly sorry for the carelessness that could give such an impression.â€
As Jason once remarked, and I paraphrase here:
“I’m sorry that I did….x” is an apology.
“I’m sorry that you feel….about x” is not an apology, it’s covering your ass.
Ron A. Hysom
February 9th, 2010
So here we sit, disgusted by this homophobic hater in Africa, while three mainstream “Conservative, Americans” have publicly called for the re-criminalization of homosexual behavior in the USA in the past week . . .
John B. Chilton
February 9th, 2010
Daily Monitor saying the C of U opposes the bill?
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/858926/-/wi1k07/-/
quoting
Yesterday’s statement sent to media houses by Church of Uganda’s Communications Director Amanda Onapito, specifically suggests changes to Sections 128-147 that variously touch on sexual-related offences such as indecent assault, homosexuality and defilement to ensure “proportionality†in sanctions.
“The ideal situation would be one where necessary amendment is made to existing legislation to also enumerate other sexual offences such as lesbianism and bestiality,†the statement, already endorsed by the House of Bishops, reads in part.
“This would not require a fresh Bill on homosexuality per se but rather an amendment to the existing provisions which would also change the title to something like: The Penal Code Unnatural Offences Amendment Bill.â€
Rick Brentlinger
February 9th, 2010
So books like mine, DVDs, mp3s by gay artists, websites like BTB and Gay Christian 101, sermons, Bible studies – ANY material which views homosexuality as normal should be criminalized, according to the Anglican Church of Uganda?
The shadows of a hard twilight are beginning to lengthen.
Burr
February 9th, 2010
More like blaming the victim for taking offense..
Ben in Oakland
February 9th, 2010
that, too.
Richard W. Fitch
February 9th, 2010
Does anyone have resources to tell which American Anglican break aways are part of which African bishoprics? I have started looking through my Episcopalian links but not been able to locate this information. Especially with this report from Uganda, it would be useful to know who[American] is aligned where[Africa] and what their stance[American] is on this specific issue.
pos monitoring
February 10th, 2010
wow that country is tough
John B. Chilton
February 10th, 2010
The press release is here,
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/anglican_communion/press_release_from_church_of_u.html
We also compiled reports here:
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/sexuality/uganda_anglicans_support_antih.html
For the commenter @Fitch above I’ll send some information about which FORMER parishes in The Episcopal Church USA are now affiliate themselves to The (Anglican) Church of Uganda in my next comment.
John B. Chilton
February 10th, 2010
http://www.diohs.org/
“Our Diocese [the Diocese of the Holy Spirit] is a non-geographic, transitional diocese. We offer a home within the Anglican Church in North America for churches—particularly those that have been under the Church of Uganda—located where a regional diocese has not yet been organized.”
List of churches, by state:
http://www.diohs.org/1094/Churches.aspx
The Anglican Church of North America is not part of the Anglican Communion, but it is recognized by some provinces (like Uganda, Nigeria).
You can see from their url they have chutzpah,
http://anglicanchurch.net/
List of churches in ACNA:
http://anglicanchurch.net/?/main/locator/us
John B. Chilton
February 10th, 2010
http://www.diohs.org/
“Welcome to the Diocese of the Holy Spirit web site. Our Diocese is a non-geographic, transitional diocese. We offer a home within the Anglican Church in North America for churches—particularly those that have been under the Church of Uganda—located where a regional diocese has not yet been organized.”
Churches in the diocese:
http://www.diohs.org/1094/Churches.aspx
Anglican Church in North America is not in the Anglican Communion. Nevertheless its url is,
http://anglicanchurch.net/
Churches in ACNA:
http://anglicanchurch.net/?/main/locator/us
wister
February 10th, 2010
Thanks for those links.
It’s actually rather worse than I’d first thought. I wonder why the Monitor has so mischaracterized the release.
Richard W. Fitch
February 10th, 2010
@Chilton – Are you on FaceBook? Look me up. I’d be interested to share.
John B. Chilton
February 10th, 2010
Agologies if this is a repost.
http://www.diohs.org/
” Welcome to the Diocese of the Holy Spirit web site. Our Diocese is a non-geographic, transitional diocese. We offer a home within the Anglican Church in North America for churches—particularly those that have been under the Church of Uganda—located where a regional diocese has not yet been organized.”
Church directory by state:
http://www.diohs.org/1094/Churches.aspx
ACNA:
http://anglicanchurch.net/
Church directory for ACNA:
http://anglicanchurch.net/?/main/locator/us
ACNA is NOT part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In North America the Anglican Communion has two provinces: the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church.
ACNA is recognized by some Anglican provinces such as Uganda and Peter Akinola’s Nigeria.
George Bingham
February 10th, 2010
Quote:
1. Ensure that the law protects the confidentiality of medical, pastoral and counseling relationships, including those that disclose homosexual practice in accordance with the relevant professional codes of ethics.
Does this mean to say that if a doctor, counselor or pastor were to report to the government that their client is a homosexual (that under this proposed law they’d be required to do) that the doctor, counselor or pastor’s identity would not be revealed??
I hope that’s not what it means! Someone please correct me by saying that it means that doctors, counselors and pastors would NOT be subject to the requirement that they report if a client claims to have engaged in homosexual behavior. Please??
Timothy Kincaid
February 10th, 2010
George,
The Kill Gays bill, as proposed, would require that a doctor, counselor or pastor would have to report gay people who confided in them to the government or face prison time themselves.
The Church of Uganda said, “We don’t want to be forced to do anything or be subject to punishment, just throw the unrepentant gays in prison instead.”
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