Leader of Nigerian Anglicans explains wish to sever links over gay issue

Notes: Archbishop Peter Akinola, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, has spelled out his reasons for wishing to sever links with dioceses that endorse homosexual relations. Archbishop Akinola said "he considered un godly the move by a bishop in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster to issue a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex marriages. He said `convoluted reasoning' had been behind the appointments of a gay man as bishop in Reading, England, and the election of a gay man as bishop in New Hampshire. Both developments, he contended, ran counter to Anglican teaching". "The archbishop suggested the recent developments amounted to a betrayal. `As a communion we took a decision by an overwhelming majority in 1998 that we needed to uphold the authority of the Scriptures: that we must not deviate in the area of marriage or deviate from Biblical provisions', added Akinola." "We cannot continue to be in communion with people who taken a step outside the Biblical boundaries".

Subjects: Akinola, Peter (Peter Jasper), 1944-; Homosexuality - Biblical teaching; Homosexuality - Religious aspects - Church of England; Anglican Communion - Parties and movements