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Anglican Church split on
gay marriage
07 Nov 2006- South Africa- Cracks persist
within the leadership of the Anglican Church over the same-sex marriage
bill that is to be signed into law next month, Dispatch Online reported
on Tuesday.
The dean of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa,
Bishop David Beetge, confirmed Anglican bishops were still divided on
the matter. He said the Anglican Church stood by the 13th Lambeth
Conference resolution of 1998 that homosexual acts were incompatible
with the Scriptures.
The resolution was passed by a vote of 526 to 70.
Moral authority
The Lambeth conference is a gathering of Anglican
bishops. Its resolutions are not binding to member churches, but carry
considerable moral authority within the church.
Beetge said gays and lesbians were being allowed to
become full members of the body of Christ on the provision that they
would remain celibate.
Bishop Thabo Makgoba of the Grahamstown diocese said
that the church leadership remained divided on the matter.
"We agree that we have to dialogue, and listen to the
experiences of all people around this issue, so that when the conclusion
is arrived at, all of us understand and appreciate the challenges that
all people feel," he said.
"It is a painful position, quite an ambiguous one, but
we pray that as we do this, God will be with us and empower us through
the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu recently criticised
conservative Anglicans who want to uphold a ban on same-sex marriages
and block gays from entering the priesthood unless they remain celibate.
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