wfn.org | Bishops apologise to homosexuals

[a.whitefield@quest.org.uk]

March 18, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
The Anglican Communion Office, London, UK
Director of Communications - Canon James M Rosenthal
Tel: [44] (0)171 620-1110   Fax: [44] (0)171 620-1070

(97.3.2.2)

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Anglican bishops apologise to homosexuals

(Noel Bruyns, ENI) The bishops of the Church of the Province of Southern 
Africa (Anglican) have publicly apologised to homosexual people who have 
been hurt by the "unacceptable prejudice" against gays and lesbians
within the church.

The bishops, meeting in synod in Cape Town, said in a press statement  
released on 6 March: "As a church we have been responsible over the  
centuries for rejecting many people because of their sexual orientation.

"The harshness and hostility to homosexual people within our church
[are] neither acceptable nor ... in accord with our Lord's love of all
people. We repent of this attitude and ask forgiveness of many
homosexual people who have been hurt, rejected and marginalised because
of this deep-seated prejudice," the bishops said.

However, they rejected all forms of promiscuity which, they said, 
dehumanised many relationships.

"The church's position is that sex is for life-long marriage with a
person of the opposite sex for companionship, sexual fulfilment and
procreation. The reality is that divorce and remarriage, polygamy,
same-sex unions, single-parent families, and persons living together
outside marriage do exist.

"As a church, we have to find loving, pastoral and creative ways of
dealing with all these situations," the statement continued.

The bishops called for further study within the church on the subject of 
homosexuality, in particular with regard to the original Greek and
Hebrew of the Biblical texts.

"We are unhappy at the tendency in some quarters to attack homosexuals
on the basis of simplistic interpretations of certain scriptural texts,"
the bishops said.

The statement, issued on behalf of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, 
Njonjonkulu Ndungane, conceded there was no consensus on the topic of  
homosexuality among the bishops and within the church as a whole. The  
bishops undertook to continue to work towards consensus, pointing out,  
however, that it would be dishonest to force themselves into an
artificial consensus in order to satisfy public pressure.

The synod discussed the issue after its theological commission tabled a 
report on homosexuality.