Canada's Anglican bishops have unanimously endorsed a motion expressing "grave concern" about proposed legislation in Nigeria that "would prohibit or severely restrict the freedom of speech, association, expression and assembly of gay and lesbian persons," Canada's national Anglican newspaper reported recently.
The motion, according to the Anglican Journal, also criticised the Anglican Church of Nigeria for its support of the legislation, which the bishops said is inconsistent with the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The bishops said they were "especially grieved" by the support for the legislation given by the Church of Nigeria, noting that the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops called upon churches to "listen to the experience of homosexual persons," the Journal reported last Thursday.
The proposed laws, said the bishops, "criminalise civil and religious same-sex marriage as well as the public and private expression of same-sex affection, all public affiliation between gay persons and even publicity, public support and media reporting of the same."
The proposals "would make the very act of listening to homosexual persons impossible," they added.
In what the Journal described as “unusually strong” language, the bishops said they "disassociate" themselves from the actions of the Church of Nigeria and called upon Anglicans around the world to listen to and respect the human rights of gay people.
The motion, according to the Anglican Journal, also criticised the Anglican Church of Nigeria for its support of the legislation, which the bishops said is inconsistent with the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The bishops said they were "especially grieved" by the support for the legislation given by the Church of Nigeria, noting that the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops called upon churches to "listen to the experience of homosexual persons," the Journal reported last Thursday.
The proposed laws, said the bishops, "criminalise civil and religious same-sex marriage as well as the public and private expression of same-sex affection, all public affiliation between gay persons and even publicity, public support and media reporting of the same."
The proposals "would make the very act of listening to homosexual persons impossible," they added.
In what the Journal described as “unusually strong” language, the bishops said they "disassociate" themselves from the actions of the Church of Nigeria and called upon Anglicans around the world to listen to and respect the human rights of gay people.
The Canadian bishops’ motion, passed at their spring meeting held Apr. 22-27, comes as the Anglican Communion, represented in the United States by the Episcopal Church, remains torn over the issue of gay clergy after years of heated debate.
In 2003, New Hampshire Episcopalians elected the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who has a longtime male partner, as their bishop. A year later, in an attempt to keep the Communion from splitting, an international Anglican panel asked U.S. dioceses to stop installing bishops in same-sex relationships for now, and requested that the Episcopal Church show "regret" for the turmoil its actions had caused.
The head of the Episcopal Church — Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold — has repeatedly expressed the desire to remain part of the Communion. Last month, prior to a critical election for the new head the Diocese of California, Griswold said that if California elected the church's second openly gay bishop, it would create "definite difficulty" between Episcopalians and the rest of the Anglican Communion.
An Episcopal panel studying the issue, in line with Griswold, proposed last month that dioceses use "very considerable caution" in electing bishops with same-sex partners, but it stopped short of a moratorium. In last Saturday’s election, three of the seven candidates were openly gay.
Joseph Alvarez
Christian Today Correspondent