1) The Enduring Hypocrisy by GAFCON on care for the LGBTQ+ individual

 

This is going to be a 3 part examination of the GAFCON tribe of the Anglican Communion. They outed themselves, I am glad to have the data! Part 1.

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Yes, I intentionally misspoke the title. Gafcon is the sub-tribe of Anglicans breaking from the Church of England and Wales. They claim they have 85% of all Anglicans, though the latter is the ‘Mother Church’.
Church politics. I would have zero interest in it.., except that I am kuchu, an LGBTQ+ individual, residing in a place they claim as their own. And, they are very, very powerful, temporally.

One of the GAFCON tribe, Archbishop Kaziinda, engineered the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in Uganda. After it became law, with his enthusiastic support, the Church of England Primate, Archbishop Webley wrote a letter decrying the whole business. According to Archbishop Webley, this was not what they had agreed on, with regards to pastoral care of LGBTQ+ (Kuchu) individuals.

The GAFCON people hit back in a couple of letters. From the Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Kaziira who had engineered the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, and from The Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, Chair of the Gafcon Primates Council.
No. They emphasized. They are NOT, and didn’t plan to be, Homosexual activists, or to promote LGBTQ+ rights.

Seems like a most embarrassing assertion, that the GAFCON primates would have a (pastoral) care for LGBTQ+ individuals..!
The tone of letters was interesting. And revelatory of what the GAFCON primates think.

Laurent Mbanda peppered the letter with scripture quotes. A most bible learned person. Fundamentalist, I must believe. Remember when the Nazarene cautioned to beware of those who pray loud in the public square to be seen and heard?

And he unhesitatingly pulled out the ‘Colonialism’ card.
Now, that is nasty.
And telling.

See, am an African. Colonialism, for most of us, was 60 years and more in the past. We have been independent and self governing over that time, only our elders actually remember the colonial times. We tend to bring out that particular card as a red herring and distraction.., our answers (we feel) will be lacking substance. It is a card played in near desperation..! In actual fact, when I saw that particular card, I went back to Dr Welby’s letter. It must have some clue. I accessed it, and read it for answers.
Is it possible that the substance of what he wrote was true? Did the GAFCON primates actually consent to these things?

“Anglicans around the world have long been united in our opposition to the criminalisation of homosexuality and LGBTQ+ people. Supporting such legislation is a fundamental departure from our commitment to uphold the freedom and dignity of all people. There is no justification for any province of the Anglican Communion to support such laws: not in our resolutions, not in our teachings, and not in the Gospel we share.”

The very defensiveness from GAFCON seems to imply there is something there. Still, it is amazing.
The Church of Uganda has rabidly painted itself the most homophobic entity in Uganda. Last time, in 2014, we had Martin Ssempa, leading demonstrations on the streets of Kampala, Jjinja, Mbarara, showing gay porn in church and other public venues. He was the face of the religious anti-gay thrust.

This time, 2023, it was the Rt. Rev. Dr. Steven Kaziimba, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, who hands down takes the title chief homophobe. Did he really accept a document that would necessitate giving a little bit of love and pastoral care to the Kuchu?

Unbelievable? Yes. Unbelievable.

But, apparently Dr Welby has the data and ink. And the GAFCON people’s defensiveness is instructive.

 

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