Fiasco engulfs Anglicans: Bishop of Chelmsford and Archbishop of Kenya clash

Visit of 20 CofE clergy to Kenya ended abruptly
 
Row over sexuality proving Listening Process is not working
 
Homophobia resurfaces in on-going dispute across Anglican Communion 

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd John Gladwin accompanied by 20 junior clergy from his diocese has had his tour of Kenyan churches curtailed abruptly by the Archbishop of Kenya, Benjamin Nzimbi. [1]

Bishop Gladwin was the preacher at the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement’s 20th Anniversary Service in Southwark Cathedral ten years ago and has recently become a patron of a similar organisation Changing Attitude.

The decision of the Kenyan Church authorities appears to have been made in reaction to these two events. [2]

The Revd Richard Kirker, General Secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement [LGCM] made the following statement today in response to the news from Kenya:

“I have the deepest sympathy for the Bishop of Chelmsford and his curates who are experiencing in some small way the humiliation and rejection experienced by lesbian and gay people in the countries he is visiting. They can expect no reasonable understanding of this careful position there. However I am very surprised the Bishop of Chelmsford did not seek and receive an adequate assurance before departing for Kenya that he and his party would be treated with proper respect from beginning to end. It is naïve to think that a person as noted for his antipathy towards gay and lesbian people, such as Archbishop Nzimbi, would not take action of this sort.”

“Bishop Gladwin is sensitive to the fact that in the Church of England there are many hundreds of lesbian and gay clergy, some of them openly so, and tens of thousands of openly lesbian and gay lay Anglicans turning up to worship in English parish churches every Sunday, some with their families, partners and children. Many of these hold office in the parishes, some high office in diocesan and national Church bodies.”

“This is not going to change because of the views of a host of bullying bishops in far flung places nor because we have the Windsor Report nor even if we ever get an Anglican Covenant, nobody, here in these islands, believes for a moment these facts on the ground will change at all.”

“This farcical dance we are all enduring to pander to fanatical homophobes in Africa and elsewhere has to end. They are not just rejecting gay people they are rejecting any who would want to openly debate the subject or engage with us. The new legislation depriving every citizen of Nigeria from making or even listening to the arguments on sexuality is not an aberration it is the norm for these intolerant fundamentalists.”

“When are we going to stop wanting to appease these wicked bishops who would gladly see us locked up rather than listen to our voices, and when are they going to wake up to realise that all this Windsor process nonsense will change nothing on the ground in the United Kingdom, America, Canada and even Nigeria!”

“The hapless bishop of Chelmsford is just a pawn in the greater game of persecuting every person who just might be open to change on the issue of human sexuality - perhaps now his brother bishops in the UK will realise how hopeless it is to use reason and debate with these people and rally to his support; if that is, they have an inch of spine left between them.“ ENDS

Notes:

1. Archbishop of Kenya unable to “advance the lined-up activities” for Bishop Gladwin’s visit to Kenya Monday, 22 May 2006

Monday, May 22, 2006
PRESS RELEASE FROM ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA
The Mt. Kenya East Diocese has had a long standing relationship with the Diocese of Chelmsford. It is true that the Bishop John Gladwin and his team made a courtesy call to His Grace the Archbishop, on their way to the former diocese of Mt. Kenya East comprising Kirinyaga, Meru, Embu and Mbeere, but there was no discussion centred on his position concerning the gay relationships.
Our position on gay relationships stands. We adhere to the Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 of 1998 on Human Sexuality which upholds the teaching of Scripture and faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in a life-long union; Rejects homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture.
Now since we have known his position through factual, fact finding correspondences, we are unable to continue with advancing the lined up activities with the Diocese of Chelmsford.
The Most Rev. Benjamin Nzimbi ARCHBISHOP OF KENYA & BISHOP OF ALL SAINTS CATHEDRAL DIOCESE
Archbishop’s Office Anglican Church of Kenya 1st Ngong Avenue, ACK Garden House 2nd Floor, Wing ‘C’ P. O. Box 40502 00100 NAIROBI Tel: 2714755 Fax: 2718442

2. Newspaper articles from Kenya and other information available here: http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk and here http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement [LGCM]
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Office Tel & Fax 00 44 (0)20 7739 1249

Director of Communication Rev Martin Reynolds
00 44 (0)1633 215841

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