The Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, one of the most powerful leaders in the Anglican Communion worldwide, has called upon the Church of England to be suspended from the Communion for backing civil partnerships, says Alex Delmar-Morgan for the Sunday Times.
The comments come after a pastoral statement was released last week from English bishops saying that they would allow gay clergy to register their civil partnership as long as they agreed to abstain from sex.
In December 2005 the Civil Partnerships Act will come into force in the UK and will provide legal recognition of homosexual partners.
In response to the latest announcements by the Church of England, Peter Akinola, who leads the largest Anglican province in the world rebuked the new policies promoted in England. The condemnation continued as he called for the head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and his Church to face disciplinary action.
According to Virtue Online, Alex Delmar-Morgan states that Akinola demanded, “I believe that the temporary suspension of the Church of England is the right course of action to take. The church will be subjected to the same procedures and discipline that America and Canada faced.”
The Nigerian archbishop seemed to be hugely disappointed with the example that Archbishop Rowan Williams is setting for the 70-million member worldwide denomination, which Williams leads. Akinola also seemed to demand that the Anglican Communion continue away from the path laid down by Lambeth Palace.
Archbishop Akinola continued, “Lambeth Palace upholds our common historic faith. It will now lose that place of honour in the world. Must I come to Lambeth Palace in order to go to heaven. The answer is no!”
