Same-Sex Unions a Fact, Anglican Leader Says
CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- The Anglican archbishop of South Africa said his church cannot avoid the controversial subject of same-sex unions.
A report submitted to Cape Town Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane by a panel of lay and clergy leaders said same-sex marriages, while infrequent, can be found throughout African cultures and are “considered far from abnormal.”
The report is significant because most other Anglican bishops in Africa strongly oppose homosexuality, an issue that has strained relations with more liberal Western churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States.
It also stands in contrast to a March 17 recommendation by U.S. bishops that the church not move to allow gay unions “because at this time, we are nowhere near consensus in the church regarding the blessing of homosexual relationships.”
The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, will vote this summer on whether to authorize marriage-like rites for same-sex couples. Conservatives within the church have vowed to fight the measure.
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