THE Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested he is powerless to bless gay marriages because to do so would split the global Anglican Church.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the Most Reverend Justin Welby said the church had probably caused “great harm” to homosexuals in the past – but there was not a “huge amount” that could now be done to rectify the situation.
Although indicating that he was sympathetic to calls for the church to publicly honour gay relationships, the Archbishop said it was “impossible” for some followers in Africa to support homosexuality.
The leader of the Anglican Church, which has 77million followers globally, speaks movingly of the persecution faced by Christians in parts of the world.
He indicates that the church must not take a step that would cut off these groups, most of them in developing countries, however much this angers parts of society in Britain.
The introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales last month has brought divisions within the Church of England to a new intensity.
Although the church is legally exempt from carrying out same-sex weddings, it is about to embark on a consultation on the possible introduction of informal blessing-like services.
The church’s attempt to ban its own clergy from marrying people of the same sex has already been openly defied by at least one priest, who married his partner last week.
Welby speaks in detail about the dilemma he faces over gay marriage – and the influence of recent visits he made to Africa over the issue.
“We are struggling with the reality that there are different groups around the place where the church can do – or has done – great harm,” the Archbishop says. “You look at some of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups in this country and around the world – Africa included, actually – and their experience of abuse, hatred, all kinds of things.”
But he says: “We must both respond to what we’ve done in the past and listen to those voices extremely carefully. Listen with love and compassion and sorrow. And do what is possible to be done, which is not always a huge amount.”
The Archbishop adds: “At the same time there are other groups in many parts of the world who are the victims of oppression and poverty, who we also have to listen to, and who find that issue an almost impossible one to deal with.
“How do you hold those two things and do what is right and just by all? And not only by one group that you prefer and that is easier to deal with? That’s not acceptable.”
In previous public statements, he appeared to indicate that if the church did bless gay marriages this could lead to Christians being targeted in Africa.
However, the Archbishop now says that his previous position was misinterpreted, and he denies that he is effectively being blackmailed.
“What I said was that I have been in places where that has been the reason given for attacking people,” he says.
“Now, as I said then – and this is where there was misinterpretation – that doesn’t mean that you don’t do certain things. That would just be giving in to that kind of terror.
“It would be moral blackmail. You can’t say, ‘We’re not going to do X, which we think is right, because it will cause trouble’. That’s ridiculous.”
Last week one bishop dismissed his comments as “simply wrong” and said the church was now being held together simply by people having to “pretend to be what they are not”. The Bishop of Buckingham, the Right Rev Alan Wilson, said: “I think that relating gay marriage in the West to the activities of warlords and people who practise genocide in central Africa is simply wrong. I don’t think it makes sense at all.
“If it is true that the cost of keeping the Anglican Communion together is that people keep getting murdered in nasty ways around the world, I say, what do you mean by keeping the Anglican Communion together?”
The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, who was born in Pakistan, said: “Christians are being persecuted for their faith, not particularly because of what Western Christians may or may not say about homosexuality. The persecution isn’t about this – it is about the Christian faith, it’s about the threat that people perceive Christians to be, that’s what causes persecution, imprisonment, exile, killing.” — The Daily Telegraph
- Welby will be a keynote speaker at the Anglican’s Ablaze conference of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in Johannesburg in July this year. For further details see www.anglicansablaze.org
Gay marriage dilemma for Anglican Church
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the Most Reverend Justin Welby said the church had probably caused “great harm” to homosexuals in the past – but there was not a “huge amount” that could now be done to rectify the situation.
Although indicating that he was sympathetic to calls for the church to publicly honour gay relationships, the Archbishop said it was “impossible” for some followers in Africa to support homosexuality.
The leader of the Anglican Church, which has 77million followers globally, speaks movingly of the persecution faced by Christians in parts of the world.
He indicates that the church must not take a step that would cut off these groups, most of them in developing countries, however much this angers parts of society in Britain.
The introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales last month has brought divisions within the Church of England to a new intensity.
Although the church is legally exempt from carrying out same-sex weddings, it is about to embark on a consultation on the possible introduction of informal blessing-like services.
The church’s attempt to ban its own clergy from marrying people of the same sex has already been openly defied by at least one priest, who married his partner last week.
Welby speaks in detail about the dilemma he faces over gay marriage – and the influence of recent visits he made to Africa over the issue.
“We are struggling with the reality that there are different groups around the place where the church can do – or has done – great harm,” the Archbishop says. “You look at some of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups in this country and around the world – Africa included, actually – and their experience of abuse, hatred, all kinds of things.”
But he says: “We must both respond to what we’ve done in the past and listen to those voices extremely carefully. Listen with love and compassion and sorrow. And do what is possible to be done, which is not always a huge amount.”
The Archbishop adds: “At the same time there are other groups in many parts of the world who are the victims of oppression and poverty, who we also have to listen to, and who find that issue an almost impossible one to deal with.
“How do you hold those two things and do what is right and just by all? And not only by one group that you prefer and that is easier to deal with? That’s not acceptable.”
In previous public statements, he appeared to indicate that if the church did bless gay marriages this could lead to Christians being targeted in Africa.
However, the Archbishop now says that his previous position was misinterpreted, and he denies that he is effectively being blackmailed.
“What I said was that I have been in places where that has been the reason given for attacking people,” he says.
“Now, as I said then – and this is where there was misinterpretation – that doesn’t mean that you don’t do certain things. That would just be giving in to that kind of terror.
“It would be moral blackmail. You can’t say, ‘We’re not going to do X, which we think is right, because it will cause trouble’. That’s ridiculous.”
Last week one bishop dismissed his comments as “simply wrong” and said the church was now being held together simply by people having to “pretend to be what they are not”. The Bishop of Buckingham, the Right Rev Alan Wilson, said: “I think that relating gay marriage in the West to the activities of warlords and people who practise genocide in central Africa is simply wrong. I don’t think it makes sense at all.
“If it is true that the cost of keeping the Anglican Communion together is that people keep getting murdered in nasty ways around the world, I say, what do you mean by keeping the Anglican Communion together?”
The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, who was born in Pakistan, said: “Christians are being persecuted for their faith, not particularly because of what Western Christians may or may not say about homosexuality. The persecution isn’t about this – it is about the Christian faith, it’s about the threat that people perceive Christians to be, that’s what causes persecution, imprisonment, exile, killing.” — The Daily Telegraph
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