Showing posts with label AFrica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFrica. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Reflections on Bishop Christopher's Tour


The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle has written two articles in the local press about Bishop Christopher's "Compass to Compassion" tour  about LGBT rights in Uganda, which was launched here at St Paul's Cathedral in August.  We've quoted just a small part here; click on the links to read the complete articles.

In his first article, Albert writes,
The influence of the 76 million strong Anglican Church remains profoundly powerful. Of the more than 500 African bishops who serve as spiritual leaders who largely support criminalization of LGBT people, why is it that Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, at 80 years old, is the ONLY significant voice of reason right now coming out of Africa?...

What does it actually take to get the leaders of the church and governments to face up to unnecessary discrimination that would deny access to HIV information and services to millions of Africans and other members of the Commonwealth merely because they are LGBT?…

The bishop has a lot of support among clergy and bishops (some of whom he taught) but are afraid of the consequences of aligning themselves with a more inclusive model of the church that might welcome the marginalized. So the bishop’s tour was most of all a clear message to younger bishops and politicians in Africa and in the Commonwealth, that there is support for them and a compassionate message in significant parts of the world.

In the second piece, Albert highlights the "challenge of progressive ambivalence" while discussing a conference on the issues held in New York
Despite the warm welcome and support of individual donors, parishes and a few foundations, we are still waiting for a significant groundswell of support from this country for progressive programs in Africa.

We see this ambivalence equally in the faith community as well as in the human rights/secular community.....The Dean of Trinity Cathedral Portland hit the nail on the head when he spoke to 900 congregants:
"There is a difference between encouragement and support. The bishop is here because he needs our support."…
We invited the heads of all significant liberal denominations and their public policy and communication staff but few actually showed up. Similarly we invited many of the LGBT organizations across the country but these issues are not in the forefront of LGBT domestic issues – yet. Instead, we had a room full of well-connected and highly motivated individuals and organizations who are creating the COMPASS Coalition (Coalition on Minority Protection Against Sexual Stigma ).

The article finishes with a discussion of the future, including a proposed conference on the issues at Harvard, and a new coalition.

Follow the links for more information on the Compass Coalition; and the St Paul's Foundation for International Reconciliation.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Global Equality –how do we get there? Forum, Aug 21st

A forum with Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, Brent Sammon and Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, Sunday August 21st at 9am.

Recently returned from Uganda, where he helped Bishop Christopher establish an HIV outreach program to “criminalized” LGBT people (through a $145,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation) Albert Ogle will talk about why it is important to decriminalize homosexuality globally. One immediate context makes this goal very clear-HIV. He will also be joined by Brent Sammons who just returned from the Middle East.

“One of the things I feared most about the work that was not done at the United Nations in June, when the family of nations agreed on a five year global AIDS plan, was what happened two weeks ago in West Ghana. A government minister called for the immediate arrest of homosexuals when a simple United States Agency for International Development workshop revealed preliminary findings there may be up to 8,000 people - Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in the region. All hell broke loose as a local ecumenical council also called for their arrest”, reported Ogle.

Homosexuality is illegal in Ghana as in 75 other countries. Ghana is part of the British Commonwealth as does 45 of these former British colonies which are heavily influenced by Anglicanism. Lesbianism was never outlawed, allegedly because Queen Victoria could not believe women could be so sexually deviant. So colonial laws, used to oppress the natives are now being revamped in places like Malawi, where lesbianism was recently criminalized and Uganda is another more public example of recent institutionalized homophobia.

The High Level Meeting on global HIV the UN failed to come clean on the issue of criminalizing homosexual relationships and so one of the most important “At Risk” communities –millions of people mainly in Africa (35 countries where homosexuality is illegal) are deemed criminals. So how do you provide services to “criminals” who sign up for HIV programs while their names and addresses could be seized by politicians seeking reflection?

Bishop and Mrs. Mary Senyonjo will be in San Diego August 19th-27th 2011
Bishop Christopher has just started a new program that could potentially land him and his staff in jail. Until homosexuality is decriminalized, it is going to be very difficult to provide universal HIV prevention and there will be a huge hole in the world AIDS plan through which the virus will get to more of us.






What is the role of the Anglican Communion in a call for Global Equality? What can Americans do to end this appalling international situation? The bishop will preach at the 8 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. services.

A party at Albert Ogle’s home is scheduled for 12 noon, so please RSVP to aogle@cox.net

More information at the St Paul's Foundation website.


The Rev Canon Albert Ogle