BRITAIN: The leader of the biggest church in the worldwide Anglican communion yesterday deepened the crisis over homosexuality when he threatened to split with the Church of England if it proceeds with the consecration of its first gay bishop.
Archbishop Peter Akinola, leader of the 17.5 million-strong church in Nigeria, who has declared homosexuality to be an abomination, warned he would precipitate a schism if Canon Jeffrey John becomes the bishop of Reading, west of London.
There were fears last night that more than a dozen other churches in developing countries would follow Nigeria's lead if it divides the 70 million-member worldwide communion between the developed and the developing world. The Church Mission Society has warned that its work could be threatened.
The prospect of a schism within months of taking office is a huge challenge for Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is also head of the worldwide communion. Known to be personally sympathetic to gays, Dr Williams is pledged to uphold church rules and has so far kept his head down, apart from issuing a statement three weeks ago regretting the division caused by a decision by the Canadian diocese of New Westminster to authorise a same-sex blessing service.
Archbishop Akinola's outburst represents an extraordinary interference in the affairs of a national church by a primate of another country and came despite an assurance from Canon John that, although he remains in a 27-year partnership, he is now celibate.
Archbishop Akinola told BBC radio: "We claim we are Bible-loving Christians. We cannot be seen to be doing things clearly outside the boundaries allowable in the Bible. This is only the beginning. We would sever relationships with anybody, anywhere . . . anyone who strays over the boundaries we are out with them. It is as simple as that." Nigeria and 12 other provinces from developing countries have already declared themselves to be in "impaired communion" with the Canadian diocese and they may take similar action against New Hampshire, in the US, which elected the first bishop in an openly gay relationship.
Among the provinces are the West Indies, the Southern Cone (South America), Central Africa, Kenya, India, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Uganda.
Canon John said of his relationship: "We have been together for 27 years and we will remain together. But the relationship has not been sexually expressed for years."
Archbishop Akinola himself came under fire last night when a correspondent in the Church Times newspaper with a shared parish in Nigeria pointed out local tribal practices of polygamy and human sacrifice. The Rev Mark Williams wrote: "The archbishop's faithfulness to Scripture at home is far more a cause for question and concern than anything going on here or in Canada." - (Guardian Service)