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)
