wfn.org | Bishop Griswold issues statement on human rights

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99-154

Statement of the Presiding Bishop on Human Rights for Homosexual 
Persons

     I have read with alarm and deep concern accounts of 
statements by the presidents of Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe which 
have become a provocation for the harassment and persecution of 
homosexual persons. Here I am put in mind of the Lambeth 
resolution which reminds us that homosexual persons are "loved by 
God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, 
regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of 
Christ."

     Within the Anglican Communion we are seeking to discern a 
common mind on the issue of homosexuality in the life of the 
church.  However, regardless of one's views on the matter, there 
should be no debate among us about human rights for all people - 
which are enshrined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights. 

     I have conveyed this concern to the primates of Central 
Africa, Kenya, and Uganda, and am ready as their brother in 
Christ to share their burden, which belongs to everyone who has 
been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection, and thereby 
called to proclaim and uphold the dignity of all persons. 

     Frank T. Griswold
     Presiding Bishop and Primate
     The Episcopal Church USA
     October 8, 1999