UK Gay news has this report:
MANCHESTER, December 17, 2007 – Archbishop Desmond Tutu has apologised to gay people all around the world for the way they have been treated by the Church.
The Archbishop recently criticised the church for being ‘obsessed’ with homosexuality but speaking on the only gay programme on the BBC he goes further and says he’s ‘sorry’.
The Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner says “sorry” to the worldwide LGBT community in an exclusive recorded interview with Ashley Byrne, presenter of Gay Hour, to be transmitted tonight (December 17) on BBC Radio Manchester.
“I want to apologise to you and to all those who we in the church have persecuted,” Archbishop Tutu says in the interview.
“I’m sorry that we have been part of the persecution of a particular group. For me that is quite un-Christ like and, for that reason, it is unacceptable.
“May be, even as a retired Archbishop, I probably have, to some extent, a kind of authority but apart from anything let me say for myself and anyone who might want to align themselves with me, I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry for the hurt, for the rejection, for the anguish that we have caused to such as yourselves.”
The interview is something of a “scoop” for BBC Radio Manchester, a local radio station who’s Gay Hour – officially LGBT Citizen Manchester – is broadcast every Monday.
It can be heard world-wide at 8pm tonight UK time (9pm Central Europe, 3pm EDT in USA or 7am on Tuesday morning in Sydney) via the BBC Manchester website. The programme is then available on ‘audio on demand’ for a week (same url). It will also be permanently available on the Canal Street website from tomorrow.
LGBT Citizen Manchester is produced for BBC Radio Manchester by Made in Manchester Production.
Meanwhile, I've not been posting news related to the Anglican Communion's impending demise. However, a recent letter by the Archbishop of Canterbury has both liberals and conservatives furious. He slams conservatives for interfering in the dioceses of other bishops, and liberals for going against the mind of the Communion.
He seems to say that further steps in the direction of inclusion by Western Anglicans will be harmful to the Anglican Communion. Read Father Jake's analysis here.
There will be many people hurt by this. To be blunt, for the Global South-aligned conservatives who seek to poach our churches and persecute LGBT people using state means, the hurt is self-inflicted. They could say, this isn't a core point of Christian doctrine; let's cooperate where we can to feed the poor. But they can't seem to do that. I'm not a priest, and I'm not required to be charitable, so my concern isn't for these folks.
My concern is with the LGBT community that considers themselves Christian. If the Episcopal Church should take a step back, there will be those who leave. There will be those who have already left, who will say, this is just more evidence that the church (the small c catholic church) is screwed up.
And so, I would like to join in Desmond Tutu's apology.
I would also like to ask, would you join us, and help us decolonize the church? We need your help. The church is at a turning point in its history in many ways ... we need the help of all peoples to turn this church into something worthy of the name.
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