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Anglican Church
disowns Nigerian gay-activist
source: vangurd
newspaper
31 Dec 2005- The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has in
Abuja disowned Davis Mac-Iyalla, a self confessed gay-activist. The
church insisted in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja that Mac-Iyalla
ceased to be a member of the communion since 2003.
The statement signed by its Director of Communication, Rev. Canon
Akintunde Popoola said that results of extensive searches revealed that
Mac-Iyalla could not be traced to any particular congregation.
“He is not
registered in any of our more than 10,000 local parishes as of the past
two years. None of our more than 6,000 priests recognize him as an
active member in any of their parishes,” the statement said.
Mac-Iyalla, who is
the Director of Changing Attitude of Nigeria (CAN), a group that claims
to be made up of gays and lesbians in the Anglican Communion in
Nigeria, has been campaigning for an end to the prejudice against
homosexuals in the church.
Lately he has been
identified in the country’s media as the victimized homosexual who was
chased out of the Anglican Church because of his sexual orientation.
A claim the Church refuted in the statement when it alleged that Mac-Iyalla,
a former staffer of the Diocese of Otukpo till 2003, bolted with some
large sums including salaries of workers.
While his homosexual orientation is not in doubt, the Church insists
that the man still has a case to answer with the police in Otukpo over
his alleged offences.
The disclaimer alleged that Mac-Iyalla had used the false notion of his
supposed victimization in the Anglican Church to defraud unsuspecting
victims.
“The Church of Nigeria wishes to emphasize that she continues to
minister to all her members regardless of the problems they have.
“Our priests are adequately trained to counsel and pray with all manner
of persons who go to them for help,” the statement said.
Mac-Iyalla came to the limelight after a national daily published an
interview last October on the subject of homosexuality in the Anglican
Church.
He reportedly claimed that his group was made up more than 2,000 gays,
lesbians and bisexual people who were seeking an end to the prejudice
against homosexuals.
He criticized the recent campaign by the Primate of Church of Nigeria,
the Most Rev. Peter Akinola against acceptance of homosexual practice
in the Church.
“Gays, lesbians and bisexual people are called by God to express their
sexuality in loving, faithful and committed relationships,” Mac-Iyalla
has insisted.
Last November, the group organized a controversial national convention
which the organizations website claimed was attended by about 800
people.
Media reports of the event were sparse and conflicting while some
reports claimed that more than 1000 people attended the convention
others reported that the meeting was shrouded in secrecy at a
clubhouse behind a cultural centre in Abuja.
But Mac-Iyalla and
his group in a statement purportedly released at the end of the meeting
warned the Anglican Church to “stop colluding with cultural repression
and discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexual people in all
parts of the world.”
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