Bishops vote to condemn gay sex

[06/08/98 - Victoria Combe, Churches Correspondent - Web - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000134916954033&rtmo=ke3No1qp&atmo=ke3No1qp&P4_FOLLOW_ON=/98/8/6/nlam06.html&pg=/et/98/8/6/nlam06.html]

THE Lambeth Conference upheld traditional biblical teaching on homosexuality and marriage last night, marking an uncompromising defeat for the liberal wing of the Anglican Church.

The bishops of the Anglican Communion declared that gay sex was "incompatible with Scripture" and that the Church could not allow the blessings of gay partnerships or ordinations of practising homosexuals. 

The final statement was passed by a vote of hands: 526 in favour, 70 against and 45 abstentions. It was the second setback for the gay rights campaign, following the Lords vote two weeks ago to block the Commons move to lower the gay age of consent from 18 to 16.

The statement was more conservative than anyone had predicted, with all concessions to the liberals eradicated, except for a promise to "listen to homosexuals". The Church upheld "faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union" and "abstinence" for anyone who is not "called to marriage".

It also embraced the Kuala Lumpur statement by 80 bishops of Africa and South East Asia, which condemned gay sex as sinful and called on the Church to give clear biblical boundaries on sexuality to the faithful. The original draft had said "chastity", but this was thrown out because the conservative bishops feared that it could be interpreted to mean faithful, lifelong gay partnerships. 

The final agreement deflected any immediate risk of a schism as African and Asian bishops welcomed it enthusiastically as a reflection of their beliefs. It was a victory for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, who had struggled over the past two weeks to keep the Communion together in the face of threats of a divided Church.

Sitting prominently at the front of the makeshift debating chamber in the sports hall of Kent University, Dr Carey raised his arm to vote with the conservatives. He supported the amendment from the Archbishop of Tanzania, the Most Rev Donald Mtememela, which added the words "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture".

Dr Carey acknowledged that it had been a "difficult and painful" debate and that not all the bishops would be happy with the conclusion. He said: "I stand wholeheartedly with Anglican orthodox teaching. There is no room in Scripture for any sexual activity outside marriage." He warned the bishops to continue to listen to one another and not to allow their disagreements to end in division. He said: "Disagreement should bring us closer together."

The two-and-a-half-hour debate was the culmination of years of campaigning by conservative and evangelical bishops from Africa and Asia who claimed that the Church was in danger of being hijacked by Western liberals. The African bishops also hardened the original statement, which was drafted with the agreement of 60 bishops from both liberal and conservative wings. They excised the word "homophobia" and replaced it with "irrational fear of homosexuals".

Calling for the word to be removed, the Bishop of Lahore in Pakistan, the Rt Rev Alexander Malik, said: "It condemns homophobia, meaning those who actively condemn homosexuals. If Scripture condemns it, why condemn those who are trying to uphold teaching and Scripture? Speaking against homosexuality is not gay bashing; it is a matter of conscience, doctrine and dogma." He asked what those who supported same-sex marriages would want next. He said: "Will we have to look at relationships with pets, with people's cats and dogs?"

The Bishop of Owo, Nigeria, the Rt Rev Peter Adebiya, [variant spelling? []] said he did not understand why the Church should even consider homosexuality. He said: "God created man and woman. If he expected man and man to lie together, he would have spoken about this. He did not."

The liberals were clearly shaken as their fellow bishops applauded and shouted "Aye" to conservative measures. The Archbishop of Kootenay, Canada, the Most Rev David Crawley, who was wearing the rainbow ribbon of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, pleaded for moderation.

"My concern is what face we show to the world," he said. "We are eroding any compassion and bit by bit we are creating a face of judgment and condemnation." He said the liberals had walked a"long mile" and asked that the dominant numbers of conservatives "walk a very short distance" by leaving some of the words untouched.

 [Picture caption:Richard Kirker, right, tries to placate Emmanuel Chukwume during an argument outside the Lambeth Conference]

 The suffragan Bishop of New York, the Rt Rev Catherine Roskam, tried in vain to preserve some of the phrasing of the original draft and not add a rejection of homosexual practice. She said: "If you pass this, you will not have a strong statement, but a divided church."

Before the debate, the Bishop of Enugu, Nigeria, the Rt Rev Emmanuel Chukwume, carried a placard around the campus declaring homosexuality to be the work of Satan. He took it upon himself to "heal" the secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, the Rev Richard Kirker, pressing his hands on Mr Kirker's head and shouting: "Repent, repent." Mr Kirker said: "It was aggressive and unsolicited. It was spiritual bullying."