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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
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Priest's anti-Gay "joke" highlights controversy in Anglican Church |
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| Priest's anti-Gay "joke" highlights controversy in Anglican Church | ||
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by Mike Andrew -
SGN Contributing Writer The controversial blog postings of an Anglican priest highlight the ongoing controversy over sexuality in the Anglican Communion, which includes both the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in the United States. The Rev. Peter Mullen, official Chaplain of the London Stock Exchange, faces possible disciplinary hearings for suggesting on his blog that Gay men should have "health warnings" similar to those carried on cigarette packs tattooed on their buttocks. Mullen is quoted as saying "Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan SODOMY CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH. In addition, the obscene 'Gay pride' parades and carnivals should be banned for they give rise to passive corruption, comparable to passive smoking. Young people forced to witness these excrescences are corrupted by them." Mullen's immediate superior, the Bishop of London, described the posting as "highly offensive" and ordered Mullen to remove it. The Rev. Richard Chartres, Anglican Bishop of London, said through a spokesperson "While clergy are entitled to their own personal views, we recognize that the content of this text is highly offensive and is in no way reflective of the views of the Diocese of London." British Gay activist Peter Tatchell accused Mullen of "quite outrageous homophobia." Tatchell is a longtime human rights activist who has taken on Pope Benedict XVI and British Muslim scholars as well as the Church of England. "As a chaplain, Rev. Mullen ought to be a spiritual guide to all employees of the Stock Exchange," Tatchell said. "He should resign or be sacked. If he was mocking black or Jewish people in a similar vein, the Stock Exchange would instantly remove him and the Church would relieve him of his duties. He is not even fit to be a parish priest." Mullen has taken down the post, but insisted that his remarks were "light-hearted jokes," and he has not apologized. A spokesman for the Stock Exchange said the priest had no formal role there, and that the office of Chaplain was merely a historical "legacy title." While the Bishop of London condemned Mullen's remarks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, symbolic head of the Anglican Communion worldwide, has been silent on the controversy. Mullen also posted a satirical poem mocking the recent marriage of two Gay priests by a third Anglican priest. Rev. Peter Cowell and Rev. David Lord became the first Gay men to be married in a traditional Anglican service, complete with wedding vows and rings, conducted by the Rev. Martin Dudley. The service infuriated many senior figures in the Church of England and reignited the row over Gay clergy which threatens to tear apart the worldwide Anglican Communion. The controversy first came to a head in 2003 when the Rev. Eugene Robinson, an openly Gay man with a long-term partner, was elected Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire. Nineteen other Episcopal bishops issued a statement of protest, warning of a possible schism over Gay issues within the Anglican Communion. Since Robinson's election, some Episcopalians have left the church in the US and formed the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, affiliated with Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria. Archbishops in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Sudan have also supported the anti-Gay Anglican faction. On the other hand, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has been supportive of Gay clergy. The South African constitution guarantees full equality for LGBT citizens, including marriage rights. Unlike other US Episcopal bishops, Bishop Robinson was not invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops. Sudanese Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul used the occasion of the conference to call for Robinson's resignation, while Akinola and a number of other African bishops boycotted the conference altogether to protest the presence of US Episcopal bishops backing Robinson. Contacted by the SGN, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle declined to comment about specifics in this controversy, but Diocesan Communications Director Norah Joslyn did offer this general comment: "Without a doubt, the full inclusion of Gay and Lesbian people is a contentious issue in many parts of the Anglican Communion, Christianity and all bodies of faith. While that is true, demonization and negative communication do not help us to work toward reconciliation and understanding around this or any other issue. The Episcopal Church in Western Washington wholeheartedly welcomes GLBT persons to take part in these important discussions in our communities." Until March of this year, St. Mark's had an openly Gay dean (head pastor), the Rev. Robert Taylor. Taylor then resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with the cathedral's vestry (church board). His resignation followed several months of wrangling with the board over budget and personnel matters. A protégé of Archbishop Tutu, Taylor came to St. Mark's in 1999 as the first openly Gay dean in the Episcopal Church. In 2007 he was a candidate for Bishop of California, but was not elected. The worldwide Anglican Communion claims about 77 million members. Of these, somewhat more than 2 million are members of the Episcopal Church in the US, and about 26 million are members of the Church of England. The area of greatest growth for the Anglican Church has been Africa, where the church claims 37 million members. The Anglican Church has its origin in 16th century England, when King Henry VIII decided to separate from the Roman Catholic Church in order to divorce his first wife. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglicans have no Pope, Curia, or College of Cardinals, and therefore no definitive policies on Gay clergy or same-sex marriage. Anglican priests and bishops are not required to be celibate, and most straight clergy are married. |
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