Tutu blasts Anglican church for gay 'obsession'Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has slammed the church for being "obsessed" with homosexuality, in a BBC radio programme to be broadcast Tuesday. The South African 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, 76, said he felt ashamed of his church for its attitude towards gays. He also criticised Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the leader of the world's Anglicans, for not demonstrating the attributes of a "welcoming God." "Our world is facing problems -- poverty, HIV and AIDS -- a devastating pandemic, and conflict," Tutu said. "God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another. "In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality." He said the Anglican church had appeared "extraordinarily homophobic" during the row over whether the openly gay priest Gene Robinson should be allowed to become the Bishop of New Hampshire. Tutu said he was "saddened and "ashamed" of the church over the row. Asked if he still felt ashamed, he replied: "If we are going to not welcome or invite people because of sexual orientation, yes. "If God as they say is homophobic I wouldn't worship that God." See Tutu hit out at those religious conservatives who believe homosexuality is a choice. "It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual," he said. "You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. "It's like saying you choose to be black in a race infected society." Criticising Williams, he added: "Why doesn't he demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God." See Tutu blasts Anglican church for gay 'obsession' Earlier: Bay Area Episcopalians see gains, not losses, SAN FRANCISCO, CA - - - Actions by American bishops are unlikely to change how the Episcopal Church ministers to lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the Bay Area, the president of the Episcopal Diocese of California’s Oasis ministry to LGBT people said today. “Across the Bay Area, many Episcopal Churches will continue to welcome, baptize, confirm and bless LGBT individuals, couple and families,” Oasis President Thomas Jackson said. Up to date news on LGBT Episcopal issues is available at the Oasis News Blog. “On balance, we lost little ground in the bishop’s actions. We gained the bishop’s ‘unequivocal support for civil rights for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons;’ support for including the church’s only openly gay bishop in an upcoming Anglican council; and affirming LGBT people are part of this church,” Jackson said. “These are important steps forward.” Technically, he added, a rite for blessing same gender couples has yet to be approved in the Diocese of California. In the absence of an approved rite, Bishop of California Marc Andrus has established a process for clergy to use in same gender blessing gender couples. Proposed rites for blessing same gender couples will be considered next month during the diocese’s 2007 convention. “We’re disappointed the bishops made more explicit their intention to refuse to approve any ‘non-celibate gay and lesbian persons’ who are selected by a diocese to become a bishop. It is ironic for bishops to adopt this form of discrimination and at the same time voice a ‘clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons,” Jackson added. “By making their discrimination against gay or lesbian bishops more blatant, the bishops have simply set the stage for a reversal of this action at the Church’s next General Convention in 2009.” The full text of the Bishop’s statement can be found online here. Oasis is the gay lesbian, bisexual and transgender ministry of the Bay Area Episcopal church, the Diocese of California, in partnership with Integrity, the Episcopal Church’s oldest LGBT advocacy group. Other news: News & Opinions
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