An Anglican bishop in Zimbabwe, who asked not to be identified, said homosexuality is a \u201csin\u201d\u009d and urged gay and lesbian people to \u201crepent\u201d\u009d. Pressed for comment, the right reverend of the Anglican Church in Lusaka, Derek Kamukwamba, said the church was engaged in \u201cdialogue\u201d\u009d to come up with a position on the issue.<\/p>\n
He then described American Anglicans, who ordained Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in 2003, as \u201cstubborn and arrogant\u201d\u009d. Kamukwamba said stubbornness was \u201cpushing people like Nzimbi\u201d\u009d to consecrate anti-gay bishops. \u201cWe will not receive any gay priest in Zambia,\u201d\u009d he pointed out.<\/p>\n
Bernard Malango, the Anglican bishop for Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana, described the consecration of Robinson as bringing \u201cdarkness, disappointment, sadness and grief\u201d\u009d to the parishioners in his province.<\/p>\n
Trevor Mwamba, the Anglican bishop of Botswana, when asked whether more US clerics would be coming to Southern Africa to be consecrated, said, \u201cI hope not\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
Mwamba recalled the positions reached at the Lambeth Conference of 1998, which recognised that there are people \u201cwho experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation\u201d\u009d. This conference decreed that the church commit itself to \u201clisten to the experience of homosexual persons\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
While it rejected \u201chomosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture\u201d\u009d, it called \u201con all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
The conference, though, could not \u201cadvise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordain those involved in same-gender unions\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n