PRESIDING BISHOP DROPS BALL AT UNITED NATIONS

In a meeting yesterday (1/27/2010) with Archbishop Rowan Williams and Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori reports that they discussed Haiti, Sudan, Liberia, Rwanda and the Millennium Development Goals. Integrity USA was stunned by the omission of any mention of the draconian anti-gay legislation pending in Uganda.

"We view this as a huge missed opportunity to dialogue on an issue that has galvanized international human rights leaders," said the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, Integrity's Vice President for National & International Affairs. “Since the Presiding Bishop has stated in the past that the proposed Ugandan legislation is a "potential impingement on basic human rights,' we cannot understand her reticence to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves in Uganda.”

The Presiding Bishop stated that the meeting was 'marked by openness to partnership and a respect for the large role that faith communities play in healing the world today.' Integrity regrets that neither the Presiding Bishop nor the Archbishop of Canterbury stepped up on the role that faith communities can play in healing homophobia – and we believe it is never too late to do the right thing.

Integrity calls on our Presiding Bishop to utilize every opportunity to speak out against the draconian efforts in Uganda to criminalize the LGBT community -- especially when she has the ear of the Archbishop of Canterbury. We remind her of her investiture challenge to the church "to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor ... " And we invite her to join with us as we continue to work with a network of national and international human rights organizations and LGBT leaders to speak out, raise awareness and take action on this issue.