Heckler interrupts Gene Robinson's sermon

A protester forced openly gay US Bishop Gene Robinson to pause his sermon at a west London church on Sunday.

"How sad and how discouraging that the Anglican Communion would be tearing itself apart because two men...," Bishop Robinson said before a man stood up in the congregation and interrupted the Bishop's sentence with "because of heretics like you sir".

"You preach the Gospel but you depart from it," the heckler shouted at Bishop Robinson.

The Bishop became the centre of the row over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion after being consecrated by the US Episcopal Church as the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. He added fuel to the flames by marrying his partner of 20 years, Mark Andrew, in June.

The heckler shouted at the Bishop, who halted his sermon during the man's protest, to "repent" as the congregation started to clap hands, reports the BBC.

Other clergy asked the congregation to sing a hymn before the man was escorted out of St Mary's Church, Putney.

Bishop Robinson asked the congregation to pray for the heckler before resuming his sermon by saying, "This discussion of homosexuality we are having in the Church is not so significant because of what it says about homosexuality, but of what it says about God.

"When someone stands up and says homosexuality is an abomination, does that make you want to get to know God?"

He added: "I think God wants us to be bold, I think God wants us to take risks, I don't think God wants us to be afraid.

Bishop Robinson was excluded from this week's 10-yearly Lambeth Conference but plans to attend fringe events where he will speak up for rights of homosexuals within the Anglican Communion.