Archbishop Tutu: Communion Should Accept Bishop Robinson
11/14/2005

The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate and former Anglican Primate of South Africa, voiced support for the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, during a tour of the United States.

During a Nov. 6 visit to All Saints’ Church, Pasadena, Calif., and at a Nov. 12 stop at the University of North Florida, where he received an honorary doctorate, Archbishop Tutu told the congregation and student audience that homosexual behavior is not a sin. “All belong” to Christ, he told the congregation. “Gay, lesbian, so-called straight, all are meant to be held in this incredible embrace that will not let us go.”

Archbishop Tutu chided the current leaders of the Anglican Churches in Africa, saying their preoccupation with sexual sins displaced the Church’s proper focus on social witness. The Anglican Communion had been “known for embodying the attribute of comprehensiveness, of inclusiveness, where we were meant to accommodate all and diverse views.”

Story: The Living Church