wfn.org | GAY ACTIVISTS INVADE LAMBETH PALACE

[a.whitefield@quest.org.uk]

Title:GAY ACTIVISTS INVADE LAMBETH PALACE 
April 21, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon James Rosenthal
Director of Communications, The Anglican Communion
London, England
Editor, ANGLICAN WORLD

1206 ACC

GAY ACTIVISTS INVADE LAMBETH PALACE

About 10 men and women from Outrage, an extremist gay and lesbian
activist group, scaled the walls of Lambeth Palace on Sunday (April 20)
to disrupt a photocall being held in the palace gardens. The Archbishop
of Canterbury, the Most Revd George L. Carey, was escorting dozens of
bishops and other church leaders around the grounds at a press photocall
for the St Augustine's Seminar, the preparatory meeting for the Lambeth
Conference 1998. The extremists ran in front of the cameras, pushing,
shouting and waving placards in the front of the Archbishop, making
negative accusations about the church's relationship with the gay
community.  One staff member of the Anglican Communion Office of
Communication was thrown to the grown as he attempted to protect Mrs
Carey.

The Archbishop asked the intruders to leave but they persisted for at
least ten minutes in their shouting. Some members of the international
group of church leaders were stunned by the invasion from the large
garden area. "They appeared from nowhere," said Jim Rosenthal,
Communications Officer, "it appears they were hiding in the bushes".
Some felt the outburst would harm the discussion on homosexuality in the
church.  One priest said, "If we were to vote today, after this
incident, I am afraidthe answer would be no!"

The incident coincided with the showing on Sunday of the final segment
of a TV series called "Archbishop" in which the Archbishop expressed the
Church of England's position on sexuality and the clergy. The Archbishop
of York, the Most Revd David Hope, is also featured in the TV series
retelling the story of Outrage's attempts to intimidate him regarding
his personal life in 1995.

A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said: "The Archbishop's view is that this
sort of illegal and disruptive behaviour is unacceptable and does not
make a significant contribution to this or any other debate."

Among those attending the St Augustine's Seminar in London, along with
the two English archbishops, are: The Rt Revd Victoria Matthews, Bishop
of Edmonton, Canada; the Most Revd Keith Rayner, Archbishop of Melbourne
and Primate of Austrlia; the Rt Revd Roger Herft, Bishop of Newscastle,
Australia; The Rt Revd Michael Nazir Ali of Rochester, UK and the Most
Revd Njongonkulu Ndugane, Archbishop of Cape Town.

The seminar continues through 30 April.