Archbishop
Desmond Tutu pleaded with the Anglican Communion to show
unity as it tries to reconcile the views of liberals
and conservatives over homosexuality.
"The Anglican
Church prides itself -- and this is one of its greatest
attributes -- it prides itself on being the church that is
comprehensive, meaning that it includes all kinds of
points of view," Tutu told Sky News. "One of the
sadnesses about the current crisis is that we seem to
be jettisoning this wonderful inclusivity that is a
characteristic of our church."
Tutu's comments
come after a protester interrupted a sermon by the openly
gay American bishop Gene Robinson at the Anglican Conference
in England. Ever since Robinson's consecration in 2003
by the Episcopal Church in the United States, there
has been growing division between conservative and
liberal elements of the church.
Tutu told an
audience in April, "How sad it is that the church should
be so obsessed with this particular issue of human sexuality
when God's children are facing massive problems:
poverty, disease, corruption, conflict," according to
Pink News, a major online source of European gay news.
Tutu, 76, was the
recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his
involvement in South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle.
(The Advocate)
