Religion
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17 January 2008Orthodox bishop links homosexuals to paedophiles 6 A senior Russian church leader has condemned social acceptance of homosexuality, declaring that it is the church's "duty" to correct public opinion.In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegal, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who is head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, said that not viewing homosexuality as a sin will lead to a variety of other sexual perversions."If you excuse homosexuality, why not excuse paedophilia?" he said. -
17 January 2008Protesters halt Papal visit to university 1 Science students and academics at the University of Rome La Sapienza have successfully stopped Pope Benedict XVI from visiting the campus today.Vatican Radio accused them of censorship, while the Italian Prime Minister said their determination to block the Pope from speaking "provoked an unacceptable tension and a climate that does not honour the traditions of civilisation and tolerance in Italy."LGBT students also planned to protest the Papal visit. -
16 January 2008Presbyterian church allows lesbian ordination + In the first test of a new policy allowing local Presbyterian churches the right to welcome into the clergy candidates who object to church teachings, the Presbytery of San Francisco has granted a lesbian deacon her wish of becoming a minister.The regional body yesterday voted 167 to 151 in favour of Lisa Larges, who had twice before been denied ordination.Since 1978 the US Presbyterian denomination bans sexually active gay or lesbian people from the ministry. -
9 January 2008Gay Christians question evangelical’s employment tribunal + The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has highlighted the employment practices of a development agency whose UK President has taken the Bishop of Liverpool to an employment tribunal.Dr Elaine Storkey, an academic and contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, claims she was dismissed from her at an Oxford theological college, Wycliffe Hall, because she was "the wrong type of Christian Evangelical."The LGCM described the principal of the college, Reverend Richard Turnbull, as an "ultra-conservative fundamentalist evangelical." -
8 January 2008Church refused property insurance over gay-friendly stance 1 A Protestant church in the US state of Michigan has been deemed too risky for property insurance because of its denomination's support for gay rights.The West Adrian United Church of Christ, a small church in Adrian, Michigan which has weathered controversies since it was established in 1836.It was turned down by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co. -
8 January 2008Pope orders continuous prayer to cleanse clergy 2 Pope Benedict XVI has instructed Roman Catholics to pray "in perpetuity" to cleanse the church of paedophile clergy.All dioceses, parishes, monasteries, convents and seminaries will be expected to organise continuous daily prayers to express penitence and to purify the clergy the Times has reported.Vatican officials said every day each parish or institution should designate a person or group to pray that the church rids itself of the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.
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7 January 2008Anti-gay bishop in trouble after inflammatory Muslim comments 30 A senior Church of England clergyman best-known for his opposition to equality for gay people has been heavily criticised for making inflammatory comments about Britain's Muslim community.The Right Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, claimed in a newspaper article that parts of the country have become "no-go areas" because of extremist Muslims and suggested that mosques stop using speakers to broadcast the call to prayer.The bishop has previously spoken out against the Sexual Orientation Regulations and civil partnerships. -
7 January 2008Erect Jesus statue stirs controversy among Christians 8 An art gallery in the North East is under fire after exhibiting a 1ft high statue of Jesus with an erection.The artwork, by gay Chinese-born artist Terence Koh, is being exhibited by the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.The gallery has received complaints from Christians and visitors alike who argue the sculpture degrades the Christian faith. -
2 January 2008US church leader: there are more gay bishops 2 The leader of the Anglican church in the United States has stoked the controversy surrounding gay ordinations by claiming there are senior gay clergy and some of them are in relationships.Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, speaking on BBC Radio 4, said that the Episcopalian church, as Anglicans are known in the US, has been unfairly targeted over the ordination of Gene Robinson as the Bishop of New Hampshire.Bishop Robinson is openly gay and lives with his partner. -
2 January 2008English Cardinal attacks gay people in New Year message 21 The leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has linked gay people to drug and alcohol abuse and claimed that parents want their children to be taught that marriage is superior to all other "lifestyles."Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor's message, which was read out at church services across the Diocese of Westminster, marks the Feast of the Holy Family.It has been interpreted as an attack on the government's stance on equality for gay people. -
31 December 2007Pope addresses ‘family’ rally in Madrid 8 For the tens of thousands who turned out in Mardid yesterday for a celebration of the place of the family, the appearance of Pope Benedict XVI via live satellite link from Rome was the highlight of their protest rally.Conservative Spaniards took to the streets of their capital city to protest at the legalisation of gay marriage and the loosening of divorce laws enacted by the socialist government.The Roman Catholic Church campaigned against gay rights but found they no longer have the power they once had.
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31 December 2007Service with gay clergy may have broken canon law + The Archbishop of Canterbury's recent communion with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) clergy was so secret that the Bishop of London did not even know about it, despite it being held within his diocese, The Times claims.The communion took place on the 29th November 2007 with 80 LGBT priests, monks and nuns by the Clergy Consultation support group.Canon law states that only a bishop can authorise services that take place in his diocese. -
23 December 2007Simon Hughes says Blair conversion isn’t news + The openly bisexual, Christian, Liberal Democrat MP, Simon Hughes has criticised the media for overstating the importance of the conversion of former prime minister Tony Blair to Catholicism.Mr Hughes said: "In the 21st century the news that a former prime minister has moved from one branch of the church to another should not rate major headlines...If Tony Blair had changed from Christianity to Buddhism, Islam or Judaism it would be much more significant." -
22 December 2007Blair converts to Catholicism 1 Former prime minister, Tony Blair, has converted to Catholicism, his spokesman confirmed today.He was welcomed into the church in a service last last night by the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor.Mr Blair's relationship with the gay community was seriously damaged following his appointment of the devoutly Catholic Ruth Kelly to the post of Minister for Equality in 2006. -
16 December 2007Archbishop apologises for persecution of gays 9 Archbishop Desmond Tutu has apologised to gay people all around the world for the way they have been treated by the Church.He recently criticised Anglicans for being 'obsessed' with homosexuality.In a world exclusive interview with production company Made in Manchester, Tutu spoke to creative director Ashley Byrne. -
14 December 2007Gay bishop not welcome at Anglican meeting 17 Bishop Gene Robinson will not be invited to next year's Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury said today.Many Anglicans wrote letters of complaint to the Archbishop about the exclusion of the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire and in June it was reported that Dr Williams was reconsidering.However, his office confirmed today that neither Bishop Robinson nor a rogue American priest who was consecrated a bishop by the Nigerian Church, Martyn Minns, will be asked to the 14th Lambeth Conference, the assembly of Anglican bishops held once every ten years. -
13 December 2007Swedish same-sex couples to get church weddings 3 Sweden's main Church said yesterday it will endorse same-sex couples to wed in church.As the Swedish government prepares a "gender neutral" marriage law, the Church of Sweden agreed that marriage and partnership were equivalent forms of unions.It recommended however that the term "marriage" be referred only to heterosexual couples. -
12 December 2007Pope’s message – gay weddings threaten peace 14 The annual message from the head of the Roman Catholic Church to the world has been unveiled.Pope Benedict's statement will mark World Peace Day on January 1st.It is entitled The Human Family, A Community of Peace, and in it he calls for the dismantling of nuclear weapons and environmental co-operation and describes gay marriage as "an obstacle on the road to peace."
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11 December 2007Anglican gay rows harm relations with Rome 3 Divisions over sexual ethics could be harmful in the relations between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church, a cardinal in Rome said.Speaking to the Pope and cardinals in a private meeting three weeks ago Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian unity, said that there were disagreements with the Anglicans that had stalled talks."While progress is being made on theological divisions, new divergences are emerging in the ethical field," he said. -
10 December 2007Shootings at Haggard church target young people + Four people are confirmed dead after two shootings at Colorado religious institutions on Sunday.Two victims were killed at the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) centre in Denver yesterday morning in an attack that left two others injured.Another victim was killed at the New Life Church in a separate shooting on Sunday afternoon.The YWAM organisation has been criticised by some as a 'cult' and attacked for 'brainwashing' members and promoting anti-gay messages.
