TWO BISHOPS OF ROCHESTER OFFER DIFFERENT MESSAGES TO THE CHURCH

ANAHEIM, CA. While the Bishop of Rochester, NY, The Rt. Rev. Prince Singh today called for the full inclusion, justice and equality of gays and lesbians, whom he referred to as " saints of God” a senior Church of England Bishop, Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, called on homosexuals to repent and "be changed."

Bishop Singh, in a video interview released by IntergityUSA on You Tube today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28kJgG89RN0), referred to the LGBT faithful as "saints of God ." Bishop Nazir-Ali, speaking on the occasion of gay pride in London, said "The Bible’s teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature." He went on to add that if people believed differently, they did not belong in his church.

"Holding differences in tension has historically been a specialty of Anglicans," said the Rev. Susan Russell president of IntegrityUSA. “The church that made room for being both protestant and catholic at the communion rail in the 16th century can surely make room for being gay and straight together in the 21st."

"At the end of the day, what matters isn’t our sexual orientation but our theological orientation – and no child of God should ever be asked to make the choice between being honest about who they are and being accepted by their church. Jesus’ message was “the truth will set you free" not "become something you’re not to be accepted by the God who created you ."

"We are in the final countdown to our witness in Anaheim and our message is that nothing short of all the sacraments for all the baptized is good enough for us or for Jesus – and we give thanks for the ministry of bishops like Prince Singh whose work and witness incarnates God’s inclusive love to ALL the God's beloved human family."

The Rev. Susan Russell is available for comment

Contact: Louise Brooks, Director of Communications, 626-993-4605