Religion
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26 April 2007Gay bishop’s election “a great blessing” 1 The head of the Anglican church in the United States has praised the ordination of an openly gay man as Bishop of New Hampshire.While acknowledging that it may take many years to bring the worldwide Anglican communion to a common position on the issue of gay clergy, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori compared the struggle for gay acceptance to slavery and female ordination. -
25 April 2007Church of Scotland “sinfully” intolerant of gays 3 A report by prominent members of the Church of Scotland concludes that it is institutionally homophobic and they must embrace lesbian and gay Christians.The Presbyterians are the largest Protestant denomination in Scotland, with 520,000 members.The report into same-sex partnerships from the working group of the Mission and Discipleship Council will be presented to the General Assembly next month. -
24 April 2007Vatican official launches another anti-gay rant + A senior Roman Catholic official has launched a wide-ranging attack on modern life in what many see as yet another attempt by the church to influence Italian domestic politics.Speaking to an audience of priests, Archbishop Angelo Amato said that the media are responsible for presenting abortion and gay rights are signs of progress in human society.The church is planning a rally in Rome next month. -
23 April 2007Free event for gays to find out their legal rights + A special free event designed to inform gay, lesbian and bisexual people of their rights has been organised by award-winning solicitors Russell Jones Walker. -
19 April 2007Gay hate church to picket gun rampage funerals 4 The Westboro Baptist Church has announced they will picket the funerals of the 32 victims of the shooting spree at Virginia Tech.The church are notorious for their anti-gay views, and often protest at the funerals of American military personnel killed in Iraq."The evidence is they were not Christian. -
18 April 2007Analysis: Pope’s birthday a time for reflection 1 As Benedict XVI, 80 this week, approaches his third year of his Papal reign there is little evidence to suggest that he his about to loosen his conservative grip.Since his election on April 19 2005, the leader of the world's 800 million Roman Catholics has taken an increasingly tough line in areas such abortion and same-sex marriage. -
18 April 2007Anglican head says Bible’s “gay” message misinterpreted + The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused anti-gay conservative Christians of misinterpreting a key biblical passage written by Saint Paul almost 2,000 years ago.Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, is on a visit to Canada."Many current ways of reading miss the actual direction of the passage," Williams said. -
17 April 2007London Muslims overwhelmingly oppose gays 57 An in-depth survey into the attitudes of Muslims living in London has revealed that less than 5% think homosexual acts are "acceptable," compared with over 65% of the general populationThe Gallup poll, reported in The Times, found that Muslims differed significantly with the rest of the capital's population in their attitudes to a range of social questions.More than 80% of the public think sex outside marriage is acceptable, with only 10% of Muslims agreeing. -
17 April 2007Williams to meet with American Anglicans 1 The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced plans to meet with the church in the US to discuss gay priests and same-sex marriage.Rowan Williams, the spiritual head of Anglicans worldwide, warned yesterday that the controversial issue could divide the church.Williams is currently visiting Canada. -
13 April 2007Scrap faith schools, teachers conference told + A radical proposal to remove all state funding from religious schools was defeated at the NASUWT conference in Belfast yesterday.However, teachers at the annual union conference did vote to call on the government to stop building new faith schools. -
12 April 2007Gay bishop speaks in favour of gay unions + Gene Robinson, an openly gay man whose appointment as Bishop of New Hampshire continues to cause controversy, has given evidence in favour of same-sex civil unions.Last week the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to bring forward legal unions by a margin of two-to-one, and this week the state Senate will consider the bill."This legislation simply has nothing do to with religious bodies." -
10 April 2007Church discriminates against gay people says Archbishop 2 The head of the Anglican church in Wales has called for an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians.In his Easter sermon, the Rt. -
9 April 2007Archbishop of York claims Church is distracted by homosexuality 5 The second most senior clergy man in the Church of England has warned that his church has become distracted by homosexuality.Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York said the "endless debate" on gay issues such as the ordination of openly gay priests was causing the Church of England to fail to spread God's word.Dr Sentamu said: "The Church has not been very good at clearly spelling out what the message of Jesus is about." -
5 April 2007Cardinal in gay April Fool furore + Students at a Roman Catholic university in the United States have apologised for an April Fools edition of the campus newspaper that said the Archbishop of Philadephia is gay.However, the journalists at Saint Joseph's University in the city received praise from one teacher, a priest, who said in a letter to the newspaper, The Hawk, that he "laughed his head off." -
5 April 2007Priests in favour of civil unions accused of being gay 10 Against a background of continuing Roman Catholic opposition to a new law to recognise unmarried couples, three Catholic priests in Italy have spoken out in defence of civil partnerships.Fathers Vittorio Cristelli, Aldo Antonelli of Aquila and Beppe Scapino of Ivrea showed their support in an article entitled "We are Catholics in favour of homosexual civil unions" in the Turin newspaper La Stampa .
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4 April 2007‘Incest’ bishop under police guard after catherdral attack 10 An Italian bishop who compared moves to give gay couples some rights to incest and child abuse is under police guard after his cathedral was attacked by vandals.Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco is being accompanied by an escort after the slogan "Bagnasco shame" was painted on the entrance to the cathedral of St. -
4 April 2007Bishop to give evidence in gay discrimination tribunal 11 A bishop of the Church of England is spending Holy Wednesday at an employment tribunal.The Bishop of Hereford will defend allegations that he illegally discriminated against a youth worker because he is gay.The case will be a test of the 2003 law that protects gay, bisexual and lesbian people in employment.
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4 April 2007Crucifixion teaching repulsive and insane says gay priest + A Church of England Dean will tell a BBC Radio 4 audience this evening that traditional teaching of Christ's crucifixion is both "repulsive" and "insane."The Very Rev Jeffrey John is an openly gay Dean who was forced to step down as a candidate for bishop after a row about his sexuality.Traditionally, Christian theology has taught that because humans have sinned, God sent Christ to suffer and die in our place. -
2 April 2007Homophobic preacher harassing Swedish royal family 2 A spokesman for Sweden's royals has confirmed that American preacher Rev Fred Phelps has been faxing hate messages to them.Phelps and his Westboro Baptist church are best known for their "God Hates Fags" campaigns in the United States.They were the subject of a BBC2 documentary by Louis Theroux broadcast last night. -
2 April 2007Bishop compares gay rights to incest 11 The new head of the Italian Bishops Conference has been heavily criticised by politicians for comparing moves to give gay couples some rights to incest and child abuse.Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who was appointed last month, is in charge of the Roman Catholic church campaign to block a new law that would allow unmarried couples, gay and straight, some legal protection.
