Habari

New turn in homosexuality storm in Anglican Church

Bishop Mdimi MhogoloThe wrangle over homosexuality in the Anglican Church has taken a new turn here with the Chang`ombe congregation rejecting their bishop

By Privatus Lipili, PST, Dodoma
Bishop MhogoloThe wrangle over homosexuality in the Anglican Church has taken a new turn here with the Chang`ombe congregation rejecting their bishop, Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo.

Some members of the congregation showed PST a copy of a letter addressed to the head of the Anglican Church in Tanzania, Archbishop Donald Mtetemela, expressing their rejection of the embattled bishop�s leadership.

`Since Bishop Mhogolo has continued to support homosexuality, which is against God`s teachings, he does not deserve to be a church leader,` the letter says, in part.

 

Quoting the Bible, it enumerates the cardinal responsibilities of a bishop and the way a bishop is expected to live.

 

Sections of the media have lately quoted Bishop Mhogolo as questioning the legality of the church ostracising lesbians and gays while continuing to receive money from them in the form of offerings and donations.

 

The bishop, who heads the Central Tanganyika Diocese of the Anglican Church, says the wrangle could have been handled without having homosexual believers excommunicated `but rather to have them continue to be taught about the will of God`.

 

Worshippers interviewed have threatened to organise mammoth demonstrations in the diocese to force Bishop Mhogolo`s removal from office.

 

It is alleged that in his interview with the BBC Kiswahili Service, the bishop stated that he supports homosexuals across the world and has a five-year contract to help them fight for their rights.

 

The worshippers alluded to similarly controversial statements by the bishop, one during a Christmas mass in 2005 and another in a January 1, 2006 celebration mass.

 

They said he does not deserve to serve the Church because he has previously also supported use of condoms.

 

`We Christians of the Chang�ombe Parish of the Central Tanganyika Diocese are strongly condemning the utterances of Bishop Mhogolo with regard to same-sex marriages contrary to God`s teachings,` says part of the letter, signed by 35 church elders on behalf of other worshippers.

 

They said God punished the people of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for sins like sodomy, adding that the Bible states that those doing that have no chance in the heavenly Kingdom.

 

Bishop Mhogolo is reported to be currently on a pastoral mission in South Africa but the enraged worshippers suspect that he is there to further express his support for homosexual rights.

 

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion in Tanzania, Dr Mwita Akiri, said from Dodoma when reached for comment that he had been away and was yet to be in office.

 

He said that he was aware that a letter has been sent to the church `but I have not established its contents`.

 

`I have heard that the letter is addressed to the Archbishop (Donald Mtetemela) at his church in Iringa,` he told The Guardian by telephone.

 

Efforts to contact the archbishop failed yesterday, as the lady who received the phone in his office kept saying the cleric was away.

 

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Chacha reports from Mwanza that Bishop John Changae of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza of the Anglican Church has been removed from his post for what the church has called `the benefit and prosperity of the diocese`.

 

The synod, the supreme forum with powers to elect and unseat the diocese bishop, made a decision to that effect at a meeting on Wednesday.

 

`The canons and members of this synod have unanimously decided to remove you from this position for the benefit of our diocese. This is because of embezzlement and mismanagement of church`s properties and funds,` the forum said in a note to the bishop.

 

`Since you came into power you haven`t recruited secretary and treasurer instead you have been doing unlawfully all activities yourself. This led to gross misuse of the diocese properties and funds,` Canon Josia Gachocha of Nyakato Parish said, as he read one of the resolutions made by the meeting.

 

After reading the verdict, an irritated bishop Changae left his seat in protest and called the police for intervention.

 

`It is impossible to dismiss me. You can�t because I am a voter and I didn�t vote� please call police�call police please �It is not acceptable. I can�t resign or even leave,` he yelled.

 

His plans to call the police annoyed some delegates and for about ten minutes there was a violent exchange of words between those loyal to him and against him.

 

`This decision has been reached on majority votes. So those who think they are loyal to him should get out of the room. This is a genuine meeting called by the bishops and this synod is legally entitled to elect and dethrone the diocese bishop. Nothing illegal has been done because we followed all procedures,` Canon Samuel Kahene of the Misungwi Diocese pointed out.

 

Police officers from the Mwanza Central Station, some 200 meters from the church headquarters, were soon at the venue of the meeting.

 

The beleaguered bishop wanted canons Kehene and Gachocha arrested allegedly for causing chaos in the meeting but most delegates urged the police to leave because there was things were calm and peaceful.

 

`Don`t waste your time here. This is a genuine meeting of God�s servants. Nothing wrong has been done. Leave us so that we may continue with our meeting,` Canon Kahene told the police officers. The officers obliged without making any arrests.

 

That made the expelled bishop even angrier and he was later hauled away by his wife and their son for the meeting to continue.

 

The synod, which comprises some 60 member churches, rejected the revenue and expenditure report tabled by the bishop. It also accused him of selling the bishop`s official house at Isamilo.

 

Source: Guardian

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