Anti-gay bishops meet in Mukono

By Ganzi Muhanguzi

A TOTAL of 39 bishops, are in the country to defend the Global Anglican Future Conference Movement (GAFCON).

GAFCON is a clergy movement against homosexuality in the Church.

Archbishop Nicholas Okoh from Nigeria, who is also the chairman of the GAFCON Theological Resource Group, said the misrepresentation of Christ and his nature is a threat to the Church.

“The controversy about who Jesus is, almost crippled the Church some time back,” he said.

He urged Christians to follow the Bible and reject popular distortions.

The group is meeting at Uganda Christian University, Mukono.

Uganda’s Archbishop,s Henry Luke Orombi, in August, declared the next 10 years, a decade of mission, urging the Anglican churches to spread the gospel.

Currently in the Anglican Church, the liberal Anglicans, led by Canterbury are in favour of homosexuality, while conservatives, led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria are opposed to the move.

Akonola’s group is threatening a break in communion if the Canterbury does not retract their stand.

The Meeting, which ends today, attracted clergy from USA, UK, Australia, South India, South Africa, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

Ugandan President claims homosexuality is "foreign culture"

The Ugandan President has spoken of his country's "rejection" of homosexuality during a speech he gave at the wedding of a former MP's daughter.

Yoweri Museveni said the purpose of life was to create children and that homosexuality was a "negative foreign culture."

Uganda is one of the African countries at the centre of a row in the Anglican Communion over homosexuality and the ordination of gay priests that threatens to rip the Anglican Church to shreds.

260 bishops, many of them African, have declined invitations to the Lambeth conference, (the once a decade meeting of Anglican bishops) on the grounds of ordination of woman and gay bishops is immoral and against the teachings of Christ.

The conference began in Canterbury this week. 650 bishops and archbishops are in attendance.

The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi has already called for all pro-gay bishops to apologise to God. During a press conference he said, "The rift in the Church can only be bridged if the liberal bishops, espousing sexual perversion, repent and return to Christ's teachings."

In June this year, Ugandan Bishop Luzinda condemned homosexuality.

"I have been hearing that gays are demanding that the government should legalise their activities. This is absurd because God created a man and woman so that they can produce and fill this world," Bishop Luzinda said.

"The government should not be tempted to legalise this backward culture which is bound to destroy this country."

"Not all that comes from Europe is superior and must be taken up by us," Bishop Luzinda said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also angered liberal members, particularly the US Episcopal Church, for not inviting openly gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to the Lambeth conference.

The plight of Uganda's gay men and lesbians has been highlighted recently, with high profile asylum cases such as Prossy Kakooza championed by Peter Tatchell and LGBT equality groups.

At Pride London earlier this month the Deputy Labour Party Leader and Minister for Equality, Harriet Harman, was booed over the government's high deportation record of gay and lesbian asylum seekers.

Many gay asylum seekers are being deported on the premise that they can continue to pursue their sexuality in the native land if they act "discreetly".

In 2006 a Uganadan newspaper published a list of citizens they believed to be gay. The Red Paper printed 45 first names and professions of people believed to be homosexual men.

During President Museveni's time in office LGBT Ugandans have been repeatedly threatened, harassed or attacked. Many have fled the country.

Ugandan AIDS Commission Chief says homosexuality must be stamped out in schools

Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, the Ugandan AIDS Commission Chief, has warned the education ministry of that country that homosexuality is "rife" in schools.

Dr Apuuli also urged the education ministry to stamp out homosexuality, and said that parents and guardians must aid them in this, The New Vision reports.

"The practice [of homosexuality] is common among young people between 15 and 24 years," he said.

Dr Apuuli recently returned from the International AIDS Conference in Mexico, and claims that Uganda was under attack by other states due to its conservative stance on gays and lesbians.

"We had quite adverse publicity in Mexico," he said.

"Many speakers condemned our country but I believe we have strong values in terms of behaviour and what we think is right."

At the conference at the beginning of this month, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon advised nations to "pass laws against homophobia" in order to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Writing in the Washington Times, Ban Ki-Moon continued to urge societies "to speak out against discrimination and to guarantee the rights of people living with HIV."

Lisa Power, Corporate Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), was present at the conference.

She recently told PinkNews.co.uk:

"One of the main foci of the conference was the problem in places where there is stigma attached to gay and bisexual men and HIV positive people.

"Basically, until you stop persecuting these people, you can't prevent the spread of HIV.

"This is a problem particularly in some places in Latin America and Africa."