A variety of opinions on the topic of same gender marriage were expressed at a meeting of InterFaith Search Fiji in Suva on Saturday. Speakers talked about ways of accepting members of the LGBITQ community. Reverend Anil Reuben of the Methodist Church said many people in same gender marriage had slowly dropped out of the Read more
It is difficult to discuss Brian Tamaki and his discourses without making a few basic points. The first is this: As Christians we do not accept every word of the bible as being the literal “word of God” addressed to us at this time, directing our lives. We do know that the Bible contains writings Read more
Tonga’s acting attorney general, ‘Aminiasi Kefu, believes there will be strong opposition to the calls from Tonga’s LGBTI community to revise the Criminal Offences Act. Tonga’s homosexual and transgender community will be calling on government leaders to revise legislation in order to protect LGBTI people. Tonga’s Leiti Association has planned a national consultation with government Read more
A deal to avert a break-up of the worldwide Anglican Communion risks collapse amid signals African churches are re-assessing ties with the Church of England. The leader of a powerful bloc of traditionalists representing the majority of the world’s Anglicans said the CofE has crossed a “line” in recent decisions on homosexuality. The Most Rev Read more
The Nauru government has announced that the island’s Parliament this month passed a number of laws to bring the nation up to international human rights standards. A new act replaces a former criminal code that dated back to 1899 and was based on old Queensland laws. The law reforms come after a number of incidents at the Read more
Catholic bishops from part of Africa have sent a strong signal that the continent will not accept Western dictatorship on homosexuality. The president of West Africa’s regional bishops conference, Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, said Africans must be alert to any indoctrination from the West to accept same-sex marriage. Cardinal Sarr said some Americans behave “like people who Read more
Bishop Charles Drennan has called for theologians to engage with the science that says sexual orientation is neither a matter of choice nor of conditioning. In his intervention at the synod on the family in Rome last week, Bishop Drennan appealed for mercy for a particular category of people who feel rejection – persons with Read more
Former Irish President Mary McAleese has been in a testy exchange with a US archbishop over whether homosexuals are “disordered”. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia spoke to media about Ms McAleese’s recent claim that the Church’s description of homosexuality as “instrinsically disordered” with a tendency to “evil” led to homophobia. The archbishop stated: “I’ve read Read more
A summit of Anglican primates will take place in Canterbury, England, in January to try to prevent a permanent split over homosexuality. The invitation to the primates from the Archbishop of Canterbury will bring together a number of church heads who have not spoken directly to each other for more than a decade. As one Read more
The Tonga Privy Council says the Government’s plan to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is unconstitutional. King Tupou VI, with his Privy Council, was responding to petitions from groups in Tonga who have sought his help to stop the ratification process. The Government has committed to ratify CEDAW but Read more