AFRICA: ARCHBISHOPS REJECT US CASH IN GAY CLERGY ROW

African Archbishops reject US cash in gay clergy row

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent THE TELEGRAPH 4/17/2004

African archbishops representing more than half the worldwide Anglican Church are to refuse millions of pounds a year from their US counterparts in protest at its first openly gay bishop. Archbishop Akinola said the church's leaders should be disciplined for allowing a gay bishop to be consecrated.

The conservative archbishops, who opposed the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in November, said that they would not sacrifice their faith and conscience on the altar of money.

Their action will be seen as another step towards schism over the issue of homosexuality. Many of them are disillusioned with the efforts of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams to keep the worldwide Church together, and they are making preparations for a rival Church with an alternative leader.

The most likely candidate, the Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, said the liberal leadership of the American Episcopal Church must be disciplined for supporting the consecration.

The archbishop, the chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), said that the Episcopal Church leadership had three months in which to "repent" or the CAPA bishops, representing about 40 million Anglicans, would feel free to take action.