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THE Anglican Church worldwide is still deeply divided over same-sex relationships, with its Nigerian chapter leading a group of African clerics referred to as "conservatives."......
THE Anglican Church worldwide is still deeply divided over same-sex relationships, with its Nigerian chapter leading a group of African clerics referred to as "conservatives."
Yesterday the Nigerian church was reported as branding its American counterpart as a "cancerous lump" which should be "excised."
The declaration is part of the fallout of the consecration of a gay, Gene Robinson, as a bishop by the Episcopal Church in the United States in 2003.
The action has outraged the "conservatives", who regard the contoversy as un-Biblical, immoral and disgusting.
There has also been disagreement over same-sex couples.
The declaration of the Nigerian church, posted on two websites, according to the British Broadcasting corporation (BBC) yesterday, is in response to a proposal, last week, from the head of the church worldwide, the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Rowan.
Rowan had suggested that the Anglican Communion, a network of Anglican churches across the globe, be divided into "associated" and "constituent" provinces.
The "associated" churches, according to Williams, would have the same constitution as the rest of the Anglican Communion.
Williams urged both sides to heed the need for change, arguing that: "Neither the liberal nor the conservative can simply appeal to a historic identity that doesn't correspond with where we now are."
In their statement, posted on the two websites, the Nigerian bishops commend Williams' idea as "brilliant as the heartbeat of a leader who wants to preserve the unity of the Church by accommodating every shred of opinion no matter how unbiblical."
But they dispute whether the challenge is really to "fashion out a novel establishment that is elastic enough to accommodate all the extremes of the referred modes of expression of the same faith".
"A cancerous lump in the body should be excised if it has defied every known cure," they insist.
"To attempt to condition the whole body to accommodate it will lead to the avoidable death of the patient."
Instead, the bishops say, Williams should persuade churches that chose to "walk apart" to "return to the path.
The Nigerian Anglican Church is Africa's largest Anglican Church, with an estimated 17.5 million members.
It has led to traditionalist attempts to expel the Episcopal Church and, according to the BBC's religious affairs correspondent, Robert Pigott, has even hinted that it might have to take over from England the role of leading a truly Bible-believing communion.
Our correspondent says this statement is a sign of their intent to lead other Anglican churches in opposition to the Americans at a meeting of what is known as the Global South in September - and perhaps at a meeting of all 38 autonomous Anglican churches next February.
A meeting of the Anglican primates early next year will discuss the way forward for the church on the issue of homosexuality.
Robinson has not been quiet. The Episcopal Church, he says, should "stand up for right," adding that Anglicans should not be swayed by fear of deepening rifts over the issue. He argued that the question is whether the church recognised the life of Christ in its gay and lesbian members.
The Ohio convention is to vote on how far to go in seeking to prevent the ordination of more openly gay bishops.
A senior conservative said it would be impossible to prevent a split.
"We've reached a moment where it is very difficult, indeed I think we've reached an impossible moment, in holding it together," Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh was quoted as saying by the Associated Press (AP).
The Episcopal General Convention is the first since Robinson's consecration in 2003.
Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham in the United Kingdom (UK), warned that a moratorium was needed on creating any bishops living with a same-sex partner until there was consensus in the church.
In an impassioned speech, Robinson declared: "I am not an abomination before God," adding: "Please, I beg you, let's say our prayers and stand up for right."
He told the BBC that resolutions proposed by the convention were part of a conversation -- one that he would not shy away from.
"I won't walk away. I will stay here and I will talk with anyone who is willing to talk. I will be as faithfully true as I can be with people who can be equally as faithful," he said.
The main motion being discussed by the Episcopal Church suggests exercising "great caution" before ordaining another gay bishop, but falls short of the moratorium on ordination being suggested by Anglican leaders.
The motion also calls on dioceses to defer same-sex ceremonies until the Anglican communion achieves consensus on the issue.
And it says that the Episcopal Church should apologise "for having breached the bonds of affection in the Anglican communion by any failure to consult adequately with our Anglican partners".
It urges those who took part in Robinson's election to "express regret" for the pain they have caused.
But it also recognises that gay people are "by baptism... full members of the Church" and apologises to them for years of rejection and maltreatment by the Church.
The motion is mostly based on the recommendations of the Windsor Report, resulting from an inquiry into the row in 2004.