Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tanzanian Church to opposed to women, gays as bishops

http://thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=6749

[The Citizen] 10 Jul 2008--Tanzania's Anglican Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa yesterday hinted that the local church would oppose the mother church's approval in England of the ordination of women and gay members as bishops.

Archbishop Mokiwa said he had written an official letter to the global head of the Anglican Church, Dr Rowans Williams, to express his misgivings and demand that he provides leadership to prevent a potential break of the communion over the matter.

In a televised interview on state television yesterday, Archbisop Mokiwa said synod would soon meet to deliberate on the twin controversies before making its final stand official.

However, he said the Tanzanian synod had in the past voted 99.9 per cent to oppose this matter.

I am personally not opposed to women preachers among faithful and they have done our church proud, but when it comes to matters of the collar that is a different thing.

The archbishop was commenting on reports that the Anglican headquarters in Canterbury on Tuesday approved the thorny issue of ordaining women as bishops. It also approved recognition of gay clergy.

These two issues have threatened to split the Anglican faithful the world over down the middle, with some countries already forming a breakaway movement following more disagreements at a recent church meeting held in Israel.

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