HELLO/SECOND REQUEST: Dear Dr. Rowan Williams/Lambeth Palace -- ¨Don´t keep quiet about the abuse and violence faced by gay, lesbian and bisexual people¨ in Uganda/beyond!

¨Dear Archbishop Rowan Williams, Primates and fellow bishops, clergy and people of our diverse Anglican Communion.Peace from God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I give thanks on behalf of the family and friends of David Kato for your love and prayers at this difficult time. All over the world, human beings are longing for liberation, love, respect and the dignity to have meaningful lives. ..¨ HERE

An Anglican bishop in Uganda has urged the Anglican Communion not to "keep quiet" about the abuse and violence faced by gay, lesbian and bisexual people in his country and elsewhere.

Anglican Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, spiritual leader/counselor, to the LGBTI ¨kuchu¨ Community of UGANDA

¨Christopher Senyonjo, the retired Bishop of West Buganda, made the remarks in the wake of the murder of the Ugandan human rights activist David Kato. Kato, a gay Christian, was brutally killed earlier this year shortly after winning a court case against a newspaper which called for him to be hanged.¨

Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda:  Bishop Orombi has encouraged and fostered hatred of homosexuals in his country and around the globe...
HERE

TO BISHOP OROMBI: Deliver us from evil -- it´s not o.k. to kill people!

¨Several Christian leaders in Uganda have been accused of implicitly encouraging homophobic abuse or violence.

In an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, along with other Anglican primates and leaders, Senyonjo insisted that "a loving Anglican Communion should not keep quiet" when the media stir up hatred. "Silence has the power to kill," he argued, citing as an example "the tragic and cruel murder of David Kato".

Senyonjo wrote, "If Anglicans in one country dehumanise, persecute and imprison minorities, we must be true to the Gospel and challenge such assaults on basic human rights".

Critics suggest that Anglican leaders internationally have at times failed to condemn homophobic violence in an attempt to avoid controversy and division over issues of sexuality.

In 2009, Ugandan politicians backed an Anti-Homosexuality Bill which would introduce the death penalty for a second "offence" of homosexuality. There was widespread criticism of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who failed publicly to condemn the bill for several weeks, by which time over 3,000 people had signed a petition urging him to do so...¨ read it all HERE

·  Thanks to Ekklesia, sidebar
·  Thanks to Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo, Anglican Hero, Uganda
·  Thanks to The ¨kuchus¨ of Uganda

Frightening National Self-Deception: Uganda holds a reputation for being beautiful, peaceful, hospitable, a haven for tourists and investors; the 'Pearl of Africa'.

¨...I am kind of glad. Because, for once, we are beginning to debate, even in the media, and honestly, the unthinking hatred that Ugandans have for us, gay Ugandans.

What do you want Uganda to be famous for?

Uganda holds a reputation for being beautiful, peaceful, hospitable, a haven for tourists and investors; the 'Pearl of Africa'.

Recently Uganda has been making headlines. On the February 14, 2011, the BBC aired a documentary, The world's worst place to be gay. Gay DJ Scott Mills travelled to Uganda, spoke with people on the streets of Kampala, asking their opinion on homosexuals, and some of the responses were, "I hate them"; "they should be killed", and "it's disgusting".

Mills visited a gay bar in Kampala where men spoke of the fear they live in. One young lesbian told him that she had been raped in an attempt to cure her of her orientation, leaving her pregnant and HIV-infected.

Then came his encounter with legislator David Bahati, who, Mills says, wanted him arrested. The documentary focused on the alleged institutionalisation of homophobia in Uganda, the belief that it can be cured and the negative opinions that many hold on it.

Incidentally, some are proud of the image the documentary portrayed of Ugandan society. Kampala based graduate Nicholas Bainomugisha said, "I am glad that the BBC have shown such a programme; it shows the world that we will not accept such ungodly behaviour."

Manchester based business manager, Flora Namirembe, was also impressed by the hard-line opinions of Ugandans interviewed.

"Why should Ugandans have to hide their opinions because the West does not like it?" she said...read it all,  HERE

·  Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
·  Thanks to BBC, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to The Observer, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

DUMPING NONSENSE : There is no reason not to assume that God blesses the monogamous gay couple every bit as much as He blesses the heterosexually married couple!

A truckload of anti-LGBTI NONSENSE headed for the ¨stigma¨ dump!

¨...The last bastion of the civil rights movement is the stigma and exclusion of gay people from our churches and from our secular society. Yet, they can be seen to be a gift to us from God in that, despite their terrible persecution, many remain steadfast in their loving relationships. Despite all of the barriers set up by Christians and non-Christians alike, many remain in committed relationships.

Being constitutionally gay is not a disorder any more than having brown eyes is a disorder! Most gay people have been born that way and like the old Sunday School saying goes, "God doesn't create junk."

If you're gay, you have been blessed by God in that you are capable of loving another human being. The most dangerous people in the world are those who either have nothing to lose or who are incapable of loving others. There is no reason not to assume that God blesses the monogamous gay couple every bit as much as He blesses the heterosexually married couple!

As Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees, we make void the Word of God by our traditions (Matthew 15:3,6,9) Mere fallible human beings interpreted the Bible to condemn same-sex unions! Mere human beings call being gay an "affliction" and gay sex as "intrinsically evil."

When done in a context of monogamous mutual love, the Bible doesn't affirm or condemn homosexuality. Indeed, the Bible is silent on this matter!

Many gay people walk around with guilt and shame because they think that they are condemned before God and their fellow man. Read the Bible with new eyes, taking account of the most recent biblical scholarship (See, for example, The New Oxford Annotated Bible), and see for yourself that God created you just as you are and He affirms and loves you just as you are. God shows far more grace than do mere human beings!

If you're gay, you have been given the gift of the capacity to love by God, your creator. Don't take that gift lightly and do not deny it as a gift from God.

You have the capacity to love another human being, and nothing is more sacred or godly than that... read it all, HERE 

· Thanks to the Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker
·  Thanks to A Christian Voice for LGBT Rights, sidebar

ATTEMPTING TO MORE ¨EFFECTIVELY¨ DEMONIZE/PERSECUTE LGBTI CHRISTIANS: “God’s plan for sexuality,” and other tripe meant to soothe the brainwashed...

Self-righteous blamers/shamers, common greedsters, hate-mongers and thieves love to promote a God they think they know well enough to speak for!

TODAY Truth Wins Out´s contributor Evan Hurst took the words right out of my brain/mouth--so I added some! 

A Friday Morning Rant
By Leonardo Ricardo

Dangerous/biggoted self-righteous religious ¨abusers¨  who arrogantly think they know my heart/my soul and yours too.

For decades, a lifetime, I´ve listened to  ¨concerned¨ Christians/others, self-righteous or plain crude/stupid, whining or stridently barking ¨for my own good¨ chatter/slander regarding  LGBTI Christians/others as the vicious know-it-all´s at Church determine who is an ¨abomination¨  and who ain´t (in their own words)! 

As if self-righteous religious  ¨selective scriptural smoozers¨ knew my heart or my soul or yours!  Bigotry is simply pure arrogance revealed to me/us over and over again, day in and day out endlessly and sometimes even repackaged to appear more ¨Godly¨ (which also overwishfully covers the ill-will of the preachies).

Many demonizers of others are emotionally and spiritually twisted criminals who, once again, ¨know not what they do¨  as they incite and then instigate hate crimes against innocent LGBTI people worldwide--Uganda in Africa is a sad/dangerous example of U.S. ¨religious fundamentalist¨ promoting  evil abroad.  

Dressing up for Sunday School, writing a big check or slipping on mitres, robes and/or handmade stoles will not change the appearance of ones deeply flawed character...yours or mine.  Good personal character that anti-LGBTI Christians/others expect us to believe they actually possess as they announce ¨Gods Plan for Sexuality¨  and other presumptuous morally-flawed ¨exclusive¨ rubbish.

Speaking for a God that blamers, shamers, common greedsters and thieves think they know so well  is scary, it´s harmful/hurtful, and yes, it´s also 100% distilled hogwash!  Pit bulls wearing lipstick comes to mind.

How Can Christian Students More Effectively Hate Homosexuals?

By Evan Hurst

¨Ashley Horne and Candi Cushman of Focus on the Family have the answer! Unfortunately the video isn’t embeddable, presumably because it’s embarrassing. The video is about Focus’s “Day of Dialogue,” in which they seek to deflect public attention from the blood all over fundamentalist Christian hands when it comes to the bullying and, all too often, suicides among gay teens.

Anyway, they don’t use the word “hate,” but rather use coded dogwhistles and catch phrases like “God’s plan for sexuality,” and other tripe meant to soothe the brainwashed. http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2011/03/15060/">HERE

· Thanks to Truth Wins Out, sidebar
· Thanks to Evan Hurst

The Republic of Uganda vs. Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enoch: ¨JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL¨ Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo

The Mukono Grade Two Magistrate Charles Kadisi has remanded Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, who is accused of murdering David Kato, to Luzira prison

¨Enoch Sydney Nsubuga, David Kato's alleged murderer, has been remanded to Luzira prison to await his trial. The trial itself has been delayed a second time prompting speculation that the state needs more time to investigate the case.¨ African Activist, HERE

The Mukono Grade Two Magistrate Charles Kadisi has remanded Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, who is accused of murdering David Kato, to Luzira prison. David Kato was a prominent Ugandan gay rights activist.

Enock Nsubuga Balibagga, 22 years, who is being prosecuted by David Toskin, has been remanded on charges of murdering David Kato on 26th January, 2011 at the deceased’s house at Bukasa village, Kyetume in Mukono district.

Nsubuga was netted on Wednesday 02 February by Mukono police following a tip off by his uncle about his whereabouts. He had been hiding at Nakabago. Nsubuga has been remanded to Luzira prison until 17th of March 2011 when the case will again come up for mention...¨  The Daily Monitor,  HERE

The murder case of slain gay rights activist David Kato has been postponed for the second time to 17 March 2011. Executive Director for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) Frank Mugisha told Behind the Mask that the case was mentioned in court and postponed without a hearing, leaving them to guess that the state needs to investigate further.

“I am however kind of concerned about the delay but then maybe they need time to properly investigate and get more evidence regarding this case," Mugisha said.

During the first court appearance suspected perpetrator Sydney Alias Enoch Nsubuga was remanded in custody after the case of the Republic of Uganda vs. Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enoch was presented by the prosecutor before Grade II Magistrate, Nabbasa Ruth who called for the adjournment...¨ Behind the Mask, HERE

¨The European Parliament recently issued a statement calling on authorities to carry out an in-depth and impartial investigation including "individuals who publicly called for the killing of David Kato, as well as their organisations, role and funding." The European Parliament HERE

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Behind The Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Daily Monitor, Uganda

Special thanks to The Rt. Reverend Christopher Ssenyonjo, Spiritual Counselor to the LGBTI Community of Uganda

GAY IN UGANDA/PART THREE: ¨My anger fuelled my writing and blogging....I found like-minded ´activists´ intent on doing something about the world of lies that we lived in...¨

¨...we are both gay and Ugandan without a doubt. And, we are survivors, which must count for something, right?¨

Finding a Voice

It started slowly for me. Maybe it does for all of us. Once I was convinced that I was not bad because I loved my man, it was a simple logical jump to the fact that I had been deceived, for a good part of my life by those who said that to be gay was in itself bad. I was angry, and the anger was stoked, carefully. My love of books had led me to more introspection. I realized that there was much that I didn’t know, that what I had taken to be immutable truths were in fact no more than the ill-informed opinions of a few idiots. The coming of the Internet to Uganda was like being thrown into the world's biggest library.

I was angered by what I learned.

But my partner, not as involved as I was at the time, urged caution, reminding me that we were together. Risking my own exposure meant I risked his life too. And in Uganda, the probable consequences of exposure for kuchus are frightening.

¨...in Uganda the probable cosequences of exposure for kuchus are frightening.¨

My anger fuelled my writing and blogging. It was channelled into other things as well. I found like-minded “activists” intent on doing something about the world of lies that we lived in.

Being gay in Uganda is tough. Being a gay activist in Uganda is much tougher.

But the anger helped, and so did the fact that my lover was soon joining me in our activist struggle. Incensed by the seemingly unrelenting assault on us by both familiar and anonymous Ugandans, we started fighting back, if only to save our sanity. Yes, more and more people came to know that we were gay, covertly, and overtly. We have been outed a number of times in the newspapers, a risk that we ran because we were activists. “We can’t hide forever,” we opined, and continued along on our dangerous path.

My parents eventually learned the truth. I was surprised when, about three years ago, my dad came to warn us that the police had been told to arrest homosexuals. He couldn't say the words, just motioned to my partner and me.

That was his way of telling us that he knew. And, once I got enough courage to talk to him, I was met with an uncompromising demand. He needed a child from me, preferably male, to serve as an heir to the family line. Later, finding that I was not heeding his demand, even after numerous reminders and hints, he dropped his expectations—at least give him a girl child, he begged.

Meanwhile, my increasing identification with the shadowy homosexual groups was becoming more and more apparent. It got to the point when I felt I had to tell my brothers, at least some of them, that I was gay. No need to hide any longer.

Not so, said my father, now worried that the common knowledge that I was gay would undo a lifetime of his work. He is a clan leader, a respected elder in our community, and the shame that was mine would be visited upon him, he told me.

Oh, well. Tough.

I am glad that we agreed to disagree ... or is it that I was just the more stubborn of the two? I had feared telling him but, as a matter of fact, in these, his declining years, my Dad does not seem to mind so much anymore. Even the demands for a child have dropped, though I plan to have one ... although how this will happen remains uncertain right now.

An Uncertain Future

The activism of my partner and I has propelled us more and more into the spotlight. When the head of the Uganda AIDS Commission accepted that gay men existed in Uganda, stigmatizing us as one of the ”drivers” of the HIV epidemic, and then said that the government had no plans to tackle HIV prevention in gay people, we were part of the group that stormed the Implementers Meeting, an international health conference. (The late activist David Kato was with us.) Three of us were arrested, jailed, and prosecuted.1 It was only after the AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico City, after the country came under much ridicule by the international community, that the case was finally dropped.

In 2009 three American evangelists came to Uganda to teach about the evils of the “Homosexual Agenda.” We organized a group to hear this, the latest upsurge in hate speech and lies about our sexuality. And, after that, in October 2009 came the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill in the Ugandan parliament.

Anglican MP David ¨Kill all the Gays¨ Bahati -- author of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before the Parliament of Uganda

Reading the text of the bill, I remarked to my partner that, according to the proposed law, we deserved the death penalty. Well, we are “serial offenders,” aren’t we? That was the lowest ebb in our lives. I remember that I felt the worst kind of despair. There was even something called the “homosexual touch”—as if our touch could spread homosexuality like a disease. We are lepers, to be shunned. The only thing good for us was death or life imprisonment: that is what our countrymen thought of us.

That crisis was weathered, in a way: the bill stalled in parliament and we breathed a sigh of relief. Prematurely, it turned out, because this is Uganda, and gay people like us cannot be left in peace.

The Rolling Stone newspaper soon started its campaign outing gay Ugandans like never before, calling for our hanging and arrest. It was different from usual—this time our pictures were featured in the rag, captioned with what most Ugandans believed we deserved: “Hang Them.”

Anglican David Kato.  ¨At his burial, a preacher felt that it was his right to warn the crowd about the death that awaited all homos¨

David Kato was one of the three activists who dared to take the paper to court. He and his fellow plaintiffs won. The law was blind to the fact that he was gay, though the accused were ready to show proof. He paid the ultimate price, bludgeoned to death in his own home. With glee, those who had recently called for his hanging swiftly labelled his murder a robbery or an incident of “gay on gay” bashing, and accused him, even in death, of the usual crimes of “recruiting” gay men or of being gay for money.

At his burial, a preacher felt that it was his right to warn the crowd about the death that awaited all homos. Well, we are kuchus. The microphone was snatched from the preacher's hands while he was at full harangue, and we continued on to bury our fallen comrade.

Yes, it is tough, being gay, and Ugandan.

But, we are both gay and Ugandan without a doubt. And, we are survivors, which must count for something, right? HERE

GROWING UP GAY IN UGANDA PART ONE:  HERE

GROWING UP GAY IN UGANDA PART TWO: HERE

· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar

· Thanks to The Mantle, ¨A Forum for Progressive Critique¨

OUT/PROUD UGANDAN HERO: Kasha Jacqueline Nominated to the Women Deliver 100 List

Kasha Jacqueline, Director and founder of Freedom and Roam Uganda

Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

¨In celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Women Deliver is announcing the “Women Deliver 100,” a list of the hundred most inspiring people who have delivered for girls and women. Kasha Jacqueline, the Director and founder of Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), is one of two Ugandan women on the list.

How she delivers for women: In a country where coming out can mean putting one’s life on the line, Jacqueline has stood up as both a proud lesbian and an advocate for LGBT rights. She founded Freedom and Roam Uganda to speak out against homophobia, train LGBT individuals as community leaders, and raise awareness of human rights abuses. In 2010, when the Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone published pictures and addresses of 100 LGBT individuals next to the headline “Hang Them,” Jacqueline and two other advocates won a landmark case against the paper – the first legislative decision in Uganda protecting the rights of LGBT individuals. She has endured repeated threats, but remains undeterred, lobbying against the country’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would punish homosexuality with death. For her unimaginable courage in the face of slander, death threats and stifling oppression, we honor Jacqueline as a true hero...¨ read it all,  HERE

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Kasha Jacqueline
·  Thanks to ¨Women Deliver 100 List¨
·  Thanks to Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG)
·  Thanks to New Vision Online, Uganda HERE
·  Thanks to Cecilia Okoth, Uganda 

Honoring the brave ¨kuchus¨ of Uganda

Late at night/thinking of John Galliano: I knew hateful words. Vile words that often poured out of the mouths of people like him and me.



Disgraced fashion designer John Galliano   HERE

I felt very sick watching and listening to John Galliano today as a newly revealed video/audio tape played and featured him uttering vile things to other human beings at a bar in Paris a couple of weeks ago. I shuddered as he mumbled those hateful things and as he slurred then regurgitated out-of-his-mind filth words--nearly full blown insanity words delivered by the active alcoholism that was obviously damaging and driving him.  The booze was tearing him into pieces, demoralizing him as no one else could have and it did it far better and far more destructively than the ¨insults¨ he blubbered...he was trapped, body and soul, John Gallianos bitterly, stridently, howled as he clung to reality, gasped a few final evil words as he lunged all the way down, down, down into the lost-world of incomprehensible demoralization...a place where he, no doubt, has visited before.

John Galliano said the kind of vile things that had a certain ¨ring¨ to me--they held a familiar haunting and shudder-causing ¨feeling¨ in me even though the worst of those ¨utterances¨ stopped spilling out of my own mouth over three decades ago. 

I knew hateful words. Words that often poured out of the mouths of people like him and me. 

This time it is John Galliano who is ¨actively¨ ill. 

I think the out-of-control and unstoppable spewing of hate comes from the down under-everything-else place.  A inside place that is far deeper than any shred of ¨pretend¨ or artificial ¨dignity¨ on the surface that  may be seen/heard attempting to hide the most fearfilled ¨falling off place.¨   The out of control place, the one way trip down to the deepest darkest self-loathing level of personal horror where/when one realizes they can not keep trying to pretend ¨things¨ are different than they really are...a dreaded glimpse of personal reality/loathing and profound pain, the place where one must face/accept the ¨things¨ they can not change and change the things they can change...they can change if he and me are both capable of being honest with ourselves...one day at a time, individually yet together in spirit.

Pray for the addicted, the abusers and for those who are victims of abuse.

Lord have mercy

A PATTERN OF BIAS AND MANIPULATION: The No Anglican Covenant Coalition has criticized church officials for attempting to suppress honest discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

NEWS RELEASE

NO ANGLICAN COALITION CALLS FOR FAIR PROCESS AND HONEST DEBATE

LONDON —The No Anglican Covenant Coalition has criticized church officials for attempting to suppress honest discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

"Instead of fostering a free and open discussion, church officials are trying to ensure that this radical document is endorsed without serious debate," according to Coalition Moderator, Dr Lesley Fellows. "Unfortunately, this is entirely consistent with what has been happening throughout the process."

The idea of an Anglican Covenant was first proposed officially in 2004 as a means of addressing divisions among the member churches of the Anglican Communion on matters ranging from human sexuality to the role of women. The current draft, which has been unilaterally designated as "final", has been referred to the Communion churches for adoption. The proposed Covenant establishes mechanisms that would have the effect of forcing member churches to conform to the demands and expectations of other churches or risk exclusion from the Communion. The draft must be either accepted without amendment or rejected entirely; no other options are allowed.

A series of decisions demonstrate a pattern of bias and manipulation designed to facilitate Covenant adoption:

November 2010 — When the Church of England debated the Anglican Covenant, official materials prepared for General Synod members made no reference to the concerns of critics or to the case against the Covenant. This was in marked contrast to what happened in 2007, when the House of Bishops agreed that an additional briefing document presenting opposing arguments should be circulated to all General Synod members in advance of the debate.

November 2010 — When Modern Church and Inclusive Church placed advertisements critical of the proposed Covenant in the church press, and when the No Anglican Covenant Coalition was launched, Covenant sceptics were criticized by senior church officials for going public and "campaigning" instead of remaining silent.

December 2010 — When the draft Covenant was formally referred to English dioceses, the referral document provided a random list of quotations from the last General Synod debate, with pro‐ and anti‐Covenant remarks mixed up together, followed by a purely pro‐Covenant presentation.

January 2011 — A request by Covenant opponents to the Business Committee of General Synod to circulate material setting out the case against the Covenant was rejected.

February 2011 — The Anglican Communion Office issued an official study guide and list of questions and answers for international use that neither provide a balanced look at the issues nor fairly represent the views of those critical of the Covenant.

"In the history of General Synod, we know of no instance where such an important matter (designated as Article 8) has been referred to diocesan synods without the case for both sides being clearly set out," according to Jonathan Clatworthy, General Secretary of Modern Church and a member of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition. "Both sides were represented regarding the most recent plans for unity with the Methodists. That was the case at every stage of the debate over the ordination of women as priests, and now, as bishops. The material concerning the Covenant falls far short of the ideals of justice, of the Anglican tradition. Even in the House of Commons, all sides of an issue are allowed to be heard."

The No Anglican Covenant Coalition website, noanglicancovenant.org, provides a wealth of resources for those seeking to understand the proposed Anglican Covenant. Material specifically designed for use by Church of England dioceses is also available from the Modern Church Web site at modernchurch.org.uk/resources/mc/cofe.

"Diocesan synods in the Church of England deserve to hear all sides of the debate," said Dr Fellows. "We are not afraid of an open, fair, and honest debate. If the supporters of the Covenant had a stronger case, perhaps they wouldn’t be either."

‐ 30 ‐

UPDATE

Perfect fear casts out love

¨So much of what has been driving the machinations of international Anglicanism over the past 15 years or so has been rooted in fear—fear of women, fear of LGBTQTS, fear of modernity, fear of post-modernity, fear of the loss of privilege, fear of the loss of power and influence.

People who are fearful do funny things.

As often, they will do scary things.

But the one thing that fearful people will consistently do is attempt to assert control.

For the fearful, every discussion inevitably degenerates into a metaphorical (and sometimes not so metaphorical) street fight.

Eventually, right and wrong become an irrelevance. The only thing that matters is how something affects the street fight, and whether or not it is good for “my side.”

Sadly, that is the point we’ve now reached in international Anglicanism, and in the deliberations on the proposed Anglican Covenant. Full and fair debate is no longer on the table—at least at the Anglican Communion Office, Lambeth Palace, or Church House in Westminster.

For those who surround the Archbishop of Canterbury, no quarter can be shown to those of us who dare to question the ineffable perfection of the arbitrarily “final” draft of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Today’s news release (warning—.pdf) describes several ways in which those at “the centre” have conspired to ensure that the majority of General Synod and diocesan synod delegates in the Church of England never have the opportunity to hear the legitimate concerns that have been raised about the proposed Covenant.

•In November 2010, Church of England officials distributed background material on the proposed Anglican Covenant to General Synod members consisting entirely of pro-Covenant material and with no acknowledgement that there even might be contrary viewpoints.

•When Modern Church and Inclusive Church used paid advertisements in the church press to raise their concerns, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself used the bully pulpit of his presidential address to synod to condemn Covenant sceptics for “campaigning.”

•Throughout December and January, Church House officials stood firm in refusing to allow any prepared material to be distributed through official channels that was not 100 percent supportive of the Covenant. Indeed, the only concerns ever referenced were part of a document that used vapid “arguments” to suggest that any concerns were completely illegitimate and undeserving of a fair hearing. The one (arguable) exception to this was the distribution of the entire transcript of the Covenant debate at the November sitting of General Synod—and we all know how people love to pour over dry transcripts of debates and proceedings.

•More recently, the Anglican Communion Office has published a “Study Guide” which is nothing more than an intellectually barren puff piece, again with no serious engagement with any arguments against the Covenant.

The NACC news release did not bother to mention some of the more unseemly tactics coming from “the centre,” including a former ACO official accusing Covenant-sceptics of being fascists or current senior ACO officials claiming that critics had not read the Covenant draft. Round this out with the constant emotional blackmail that somehow to question the proposed Covenant is to be disloyal to the Archbishop and you have pretty much the entire pro-Covenant case, at least from official sources: marginalization, misrepresentation, malicious slander, and emotional blackmail.

Real leaders are not afraid of open debate.


Real leaders are not afraid of being contradicted.


Real leaders do not seek to be surrounded by yes-men and sycophants.


The Anglican Communion is dying for real leadership.

Archbishop Williams, I beg you: show real leadership on this. Call off the sycophants who serve you so ill and tell them you want a full, free, and fair debate on the merits of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

To win the debate any other way will discredit both the proposed Covenant and your legacy.¨  HERE (emphasis added by Leonardo Ricardo)

·  Thanks to Revd Dr Lesley Fellows (England) +44 184 4239 268
·  Thanks to Revd Canon Hugh Magee (Scotland) +44 133 4470 446
·  Thanks to Dr Lionel Deimel (USA) +;1 412 512 9087
·  Thanks to Revd Malcolm French (Canada) +;1 306 550 2277
·  Thanks to Revd Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) +64 3 981 7384

Resources for  Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity HERE

¨Whoever humbles himself will be exalted¨ (Mattew 23:12): ¨...people including faith leaders should not judge others without examining their own lives first..¨ Bishop Masala/ Malawi

The Rt. Reverend Brightson Masala, Malawi

Anglican Bishop Masala called for a more "generous pastoral response" to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons

Anglican Bishop Masala Tackles "Crude Intolerance" of Malawi Council of Churches (MCC)

Anglican Bishop Masala called for a more "generous pastoral response" to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons than the recent response offered by the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) to support the government's criminalisation of sex between women.

Masala's recommended pastoral response, while more generous, boils down to "love the sinner, hate the sin." Certainly better than being sentenced to 14 years of hard labour.

Homosexuals and prostitutes have welcomed the call by the Anglican Bishop for Upper Shire Diocese of Malawi that people including faith leaders should not judge others without examining their own lives first.

Bishop Brightson Malasa said at a two-day religious leaders meeting for risk groups in Malawi held in Mangochi that “finger-pointing, condemnation and discrimination” that the church allow to groups such as prostitutes and homosexuals, encourages the spread of HIV and Aids.

Bishop Malasa: Those who have not sinned should cast first stone to gays, prostitutes

He told the “Generous Pastoral Response” meeting under the Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living or Personally Affected by HIV and Aids (Manerela+) that: “Just like Jesus Christ himself, you [the Church] are there for sinners.

“We are there for the condemned, sinners, marginalised groups and those that have no voice. This is living the gospel; we should embrace God’s flock without discrimination.”...

The bishops said churches, mosques and all centres of prayer, should embrace, love and work with them “to impart the right values.”... HERE



The CAPA All African (with guests) Anglican Bishops Conference Entebbe, Uganda

How many amongst the ¨exalted¨ African/other Anglican/other Bishops who met in Entebbe, Uganda are ¨true servants¨ who offer ¨generous pastoral responses without discrimination ¨ to LGBTI Anglicans/others?

 Matthew 23:11 -- The greatest among you will be your servant.

Matthew 23:12 -- For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

·  Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
·  Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices
·  Thanks to The Rt. Reverend Brightson Masala, Malawi