NIGERIA: PRIMATE TO SNUB WILLIAMS OVER GAY BISHOP

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

(Filed: 01/03/2004)

Anglicanism's most senior critic of homosexuality is to embarrass the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, by boycotting a top-level meeting in Canterbury today in protest over its first openly gay bishop.

The Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, is refusing to attend the meeting of Church leaders, hosted by Dr Williams, because he objects to the presence of the leader of the liberal American Church.

The Archbishop, who heads 17 million Anglicans, is a leading opponent of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Frank Griswold, who defied colleagues by leading the consecration, last November, of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.

Dr Akinola has told friends that to attend the week-long gathering of primates and senior Church members would be a betrayal of his views and those of a majority of Anglicans worldwide. He has described the consecration as "a Satanic attack on the Church."

The snub is the most dramatic indication yet of the splits at the heart of the worldwide Church, and it will fuel speculation that Archbishop Akinola is prepared to break away and lead a rival Anglican Church.

Another critic of Bishop Griswold, the Primate of Central Africa, Archbishop Bernard Malango, is expected to attend the meeting, but only after issuing a scathing attack on the American Church.

The Archbishop accused the liberal leadership of the Episcopal Church of inflicting "a desperately grave wound to the Church", warning that, if it failed to repent, separation would be permanent for the "spiritual safety of our people."

His comments contrasted with those of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a leading liberal, who said at an Ash Wednesday service in London last week that Anglicanism must include everyone, regardless of their sexuality.

The latest hostilities have undermined the efforts of Dr Williams to encourage talks between the warring parties and of the Lambeth Commission set up in October to try to avert schism.

The commission, which is chaired by the Primate of All Ireland, Dr Robin Eames, urged both sides last month to end their use of "strident language" which is threatening to tear the Church apart.

Insiders say that efforts by the commission to broker a deal between the conservatives and liberals, which could allow them to co-exist, has reached a "stalemate."

The meeting in Canterbury of the joint committee of the Primates' standing committee and the standing committee of the Anglican Consultative council is not directly related to the commission, but is regarded as crucial.