On the occasion of the visit to the Vatican of the Anglican Primate, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who will meet the Pope tomorrow, the national President of Arcigay, Sergio Lo Giudice, addresses an appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury:
Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury
“Within the Christian community, the Anglican Church has expressed advanced views on the issue of homosexuality, driven by critical thinking and awareness. We are grateful to you for having yourself expressed positions of great openness and understanding toward homosexual love. The case of the Reverend Jeffrey John, an openly gay man whom you appointed bishop last September, has shown the world an example of a Christian Church that questions itself and does not hide behind prejudice and inertia. Reverend John's subsequent refusal to accept the threat of a schism with the Nigerian Church has not altered this impression.
We know that the Vatican fears that friction could arise between Catholics and Anglicans on this issue, as Cardinal Walter Kasper stated today in an interview with Vatican Radio.
It is astonishing that, faced with the need to build unity on the major issues that tear the international community apart, from peace to social justice, the Vatican brandishes the rights of homosexual people as an issue of division.
We hope,” Lo Giudice concludes, “that the Anglican Church can set an example for the Catholic Church in recognizing the positive value of love, even between people of the same sex.”.
