Mugabe challenges Archbishop on homosexuality
By Sharon Tibenda
10th Oct 2011: Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe wants the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams to explain the Anglican Church’s stance on homosexuality and the western sanctions on him and his allies, a government spokesman said yesterday.
Dr. Rowan Williams, who is also the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, led a communion service in a Harare stadium yesterday that was attended by over 15,000 worshippers. The Harare service is part of his three-nation southern Africa tour.
It is however very unlikely that Dr. Williams will be allowed into any established Anglican facilities in Zimbabwe thereafter because a breakaway Bishop aligned to President Robert Mugabe seized all of the Church’s property.
For weeks, Dr. Williams sought a meeting with Mugabe to discuss the split, which has degenerated into violence as supporters of excommunicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga chased Anglican faithful out of Churches, schools and orphanages.
Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba did not say if the two men would meet, but told the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper that if they did speak, then President Robert Mugabe, 87, would challenge Dr. Williams about gays and sanctions.
“…Fundamentally, he would want to know why the church of the British state, the Anglican Church, has remained so loudly silent while the people of Zimbabwe, and these people include Anglicans, are suffering from the illegal sanctions,” Charamba said.
He then added: “…The second issue that the president wants this man of God to clarify is why his Anglican Church thinks homosexuality is good for us and why it should be prescribed for us. He thinks the Archbishop will be polite enough to point to him that portion of the Great Book (that) sanctions homosexuality and sanctions” against Zimbabwe.
Mugabe is renowned for his anti-gay stance and has described gays and lesbians as “…worse than pigs and dogs”. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
