By Chris Muhizi for MCN Friday June 9th/2023.
The world’s most severe anti-LGBTQ+ law, which mandates the death penalty for specific homosexual acts, has been strongly supported by the Anglican church in Uganda. The archbishop of Canterbury has cautioned this church to not support this law.
It is clear that there are significant differences among Anglican churches around the world regarding LGBTQ+ issues because Justin Welby claimed there was no need to endorse the legislation.
The head of the Ugandan church, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, applauded the new law. According to him, homosexuality “currently poses a challenge in Uganda due to the fact that it is being imposed upon us by external, foreign actors against our will, against our culture, and against our religious beliefs.”
Welby claimed to have written to Kaziimba to express his “grief and dismay” at the church’s backing of the bill, referring to it as “a travesty of justice.”
Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, signed the bill into law last month over criticism.
The “deeply discriminatory” bill outraged the UK government, according to officials. Joe Biden referred to the incident as “shameful” and a “tragic violation of universal human rights”.
Welby issued a statement in which he said: “I am acutely aware of Uganda’s history of colonial authority, which its people so valiantly rejected.
However, the purpose of this is not to impose western values on our Ugandan Anglican siblings and cousins. It’s about reassuring people of our vows as Anglicans to treat each individual with the dignity and respect they merit as God’s children.
“Make explicitly and publicly clear that the criminalization of LGBTQ people is something that no Anglican province can support,” he urged worldwide organizations that speak for conservative churches.
Although the Anglican Communion continues to hold differing views on sexuality, supporting such legislation represents a fundamental break from our mission to promote the rights to freedom and dignity of all people.
No Anglican communion province should endorse such laws since there is no reason for doing so.
In his statement, Welby stated that the Ugandan church, “like many Anglican provinces, holds to the historic Christian teaching on sexuality and marriage set forth in resolution i.10 of the 1998 Lambeth conference.
In addition, that resolution stated that it will denounce homophobia and provide pastoral and compassionate care to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.
The Ugandan church and Kaziimba were cautioned by him “to reconsider their support for this legislation and reject the criminalization of LGBTQ people.
