Kenya Anglicans Cut Links With Episcopal Church USA over Homosexuality & Abortion

The Anglican Church of Kenya has announced its intention to severe all links with the Episcopal Church of America (ECUSA) and has demanded its expulsion from the global Communion.

The announcement was made at the end of a three-day meeting in Nairobi amidst revelations that the head of the parent church in England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan William would be visiting Kenya on July 20.

The Church has made the move as a reaction over the ECUSA's endorsement of Dr Gene Robinson, a 59-year-old homosexual bishop who divorced his wife and has since began living with a male partner.

Besides foregoing unspecified financial aid, the Kenyan Church will now also not send its clergy for training at churches that recognise homosexual clergy and unions.

"Unless they repent and recant same-sex marriage, we have nothing to do with them," said Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi who chaired the meeting at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi.

Nzimbi said Kenya's stand was communicated at last week's meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which is the top decision-making body of the Anglican Communion.

"We have severed links with ECUSA and other churches which believe in same-sex unions," Nzimbi said at a news briefing attended by bishops Stephen Njuguna, Gideon Ireri and William Waqo.

Archbishop Williams, who will be visiting Kenya on his way to Burundi, has been asked to request the 'offending' churches not to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the largest gathering of Anglican bishops.

Waqo, who is the Church's Provincial Secretary, could not give the exact figure of the funding to be rejected but said it would ensure that this decision would not affect the Church's operation.

The Church also rejected calls for legislation on abortions, and announced its support for proposals to ban advertising of alcohol and cigarettes in the country.





Allan Cooper
Christian Today Correspondent