Anti-gay views in Africa tie our hands, Anglican bishop says

THE Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has suggested that he is powerless to bless gay marriages because to do so would split the global Anglican church.

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 that it was “impossible” for some followers in Africa to support homosexuality.

The leader of the Anglican church, which has 77-million followers globally, spoke about the persecution faced by Christians in parts of the world. He indicated that the church should not take a step that would cut off these groups, most of them in the Third World, however much this angered parts of society in Britain.

The introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales last month has brought divi- sions within the Church of England to a new intensity.

Although the church is legally exempt from carrying out samesex 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 getting married to

Unity is something we have to maintain

people of the same sex has already been openly defied by at least one priest, who married his partner last week.

Welby spoke in detail about the dilemma he faced over gay marriage — and the influence of recent visits he had made to Africa over the issue.

“We are struggling with the reality that there are different groups around the place that the church can do — or has done — great harm to,” the archbishop said. “You look at some of the gay, lesbian, LGBT groups in this country and around the world — Africa included, actually — and their experience of abuse, hatred, [and] all kinds of things.”

He spoke of his pain at travelling to South Sudan in the aftermath of a massacre of dozens of Christians. He spoke of crying with his wife while watching a mass burial in Bor.

However, even in the midst of the horrific situation witnessed by the archbishop, the local religious leaders asked about homosexuality — making clear that if blessings of gay marriage were allowed then they would not accept his help in future.

“I believe passionately that unity is something we have to maintain,” the archbishop said soon afterwards.

Welby said the church could not easily “take a step that means that people who desperately need our help — and who we can help — can’t take it, [and] feel in their own culture that it is impossible to be helped by us”.