BBC NEWS | Africa | Uganda church anoints US bishop

Much of the Anglican Church in Africa is conservative and deeply opposed to the ordination of gay priests.In February, Anglican bishops meeting in Tanzania issued an ultimatum to the American church, demanding an end to the appointment of gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex couples.

US bishops have until 30 September to respond.

I haven’t had much to say about this issue of cross-border ordinations and consecrations, although it’s irksome to me personally. As anyone who’s slogged through posts on this blog will know, I’m in favor of gays being priests and gays becoming bishops, because it was gay people who were there for me at key turning points in my journey toward faith.

It’s irksome that the real work of the Primates’ Meeting in Tanzania was reduced to little more than a sideshow while the comings and goings and incendiary statements of the conservative African figurehead-to-be Bishop Akinola of Nigeria was probably directed from offstage by his white Anglo-American “protoge” and the neoconservative allies that likely finance the coming schism/revolution. The result was a completely unfair and impractical ultimatum directing the US House of Bishops to decide something they don’t have the right to decide: to reverse course on ordaining gay clergy and consecrating gay bishops. The shadowy men behind the curtain want this very much, as it is sure to split and weaken the US Episcopalian church, as they are also working to split other mainstream churches over the same issue. It’s time we start fighting the real enemy, as some of the Methodists have done. We must resist They Who Must Not Be Named by naming them, and the IRD is the usual suspect whenever there’s discord and disunity in any mainline church. It’s their stated policy. They’re the bankrollers .

I suppose by mentioning this, someone will come along and comment to the contrary. For some reason, I picture these people as characters from the Harry Potter books (probably because I just finished re-reading the last two volumes). I expect a visit from either Dolores Umbridge or Pius Thicknesse. Even to my modest and ill-favored little blog; apparently these people Google the names of their friends or of their version of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission constantly.

The September 30th response will likely reflect on the fact that there have been a number of “cross-border” bishops consecrated that will be under the control of Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and now Kenya. Schism, revolution, realignment: you takes your pick; I hope the US House of Bishops will finally have realized that there’s no reconciling with people who think we’re little better than devil worshipers. And the response will repeat, again, the fact that the HOB doesn’t run the show here in the US church: any substantive response has to wait until General Convention 2009.

I kind of hope the response is a politely worded and affectionate “Nuts to you.” It seems to me that if “the other side” insists on consecrating extra-provincial bishops on our turf, we should insist on giving material help and support to their neglected, starving, or needy parishioners by bypassing their leadership on their turf. I don’t think that most African Anglicans are as outraged about homosexuals or gay clergy as their leaders make them out to be, even in countries where the leaders are all cozy with corrupt government officials, or padding their nests at the people’s expense.

Meanwhile, we here in the Diocese of Chicago will be sticking our necks out and in the news, as one of the 5 nominees for bishop is not a hetrosexxul!!1! Whut??/? So whut??/?
All five are highly qualified, if a little monochromatic, but the “nomination by petitition” process is still open until September 11. I tend to doubt whether any of the five is a conservative, which would please only a small minority of our diocesan clergy and laity, so I expect that there will be several petitions nominating quite conservative candidates. There is little hope they would receive any serious consideration during the “walkabout” face-to-face meetings and during the elections, which will be trumpted as proof! PROOF! that the Diocese of Chicago is nutty (a phrase I saw in the comments of a well-known conservative-side blog).

Well, we is not nuts. We are impatient to be about the REAL work of the church – feeding the poor, helping the needy, and working for peace and justice and the healing of our broken world.

Even Lord Carey thought this sort of thing was bad when it happened on his watch in 2000, 3 years before +Gene Robinson was elected bishop by the people of the diocese of New Hampshire, and confirmed by General Convention 2003. Since then his opinion has hardened, however.

One final note: it’s irksome that as in the American GOP, there are rumors of a lot of bishops who live deeply closeted. I can only wonder how many of them would remain as outraged about gay bishops being openly consecrated or nominated in the US, if they were outed themselves. I was reminded on how this is such an open secret that it’s fodder for humor in some circles, going back a number of years. I was watching an old rerun on TiVo the other night of “The Vicar of Dibley” when Vicar Gerry has this exchange with the bishop, who calls to warn her that her conservative nemesis David has called yet again to complain about her and have her removed. From their conversation, it’s clear that he’s not only gay, but living with a male companion – a different one since the last time Gerry talked to him.