Protests outside Anglicans meeting

1:34pm Tuesday 1st July 2008

Campaigner Peter Tatchell has been blocked from entering a conference of conservative Anglicans opposed to liberalisation of church teachings on issues such as homosexuality.

Mr Tatchell accused the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans of prejudice against women and gay people as he mounted a protest on the steps of All Souls Church in central London.

He said: "This is a breakaway faction of the Anglican Church. It is based on prejudice against women and gay people and it has nothing to do with Christ's gospel of love and compassion."

Mr Tatchell was joined by two other gay rights campaigners, Kizza Musinguzi, 28, originally from Uganda and a gay rights activist, along with Brett Lock, 40, from the group Outrage.

The men held posters with slogans saying "church of hate!", "stop crucifying queers!", "defend gays, fight Christian bigots" and "Anglican repent your homophobia".

They were protesting outside a conference attended by more than 750 Church of England clergy and church wardens.

The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi, Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone, covering several south American countries, and Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia, were speaking at the conference on Anglicanism and English orthodoxy.

The three archbishops have been at the forefront of the Gafcon (Global Anglican Future) Conference of Anglican traditionalists held in Jerusalem last week.

The group, made up mainly of African churches and some orthodox Episcopalians, has proposed setting up a "church within a church" called the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans to provide an alternative to Anglican provinces they claim are preaching a "false gospel" on issues such as homosexuality.

Editor's choice