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. =20 April 23, 1998
Zimbabwe President Condemns Homosexuality (excerpts from news articles) 4-October-1996 96382=20 Homosexuality on Churches' Agenda "Whether We Like it or Not"=20 by Stephen Brown Ecumenical News International=20 GENEVA--The question of homosexuality is on the agenda of the world church= "whether we like it or not" and "probably the worst way of responding would= be to try to keep the issue out," Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the= World Council of Churches, said recently. The issue has become particularly= sensitive within the WCC because of a campaign against homosexuals by= Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, where the WCC's next assembly= will be held in 1998. The sensitivity is increased by the fact that the= WCC's 330 member churches have widely differing views on homosexuality.= Some of the churches freely welcome homosexuals into their congregations= and in some cases their clergy. Others condemn all homosexual acts as= sinful.=20
----------------------------------------------- Two issues stood out in the discussion of plans for the Harare Assembly:= celebration of the eucharist and the implications for the Assembly of the= attitudes towards and treatment of gay and lesbian persons in Zimbabwe,= underscored by repeated and outspoken condemnations of homosexuality by= President Robert Mugabe.
------------------------------------------------ Anti-gay campaign prompts church to withdraw from WCC assembly=20 (ENI) An anti-homosexual campaign by Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe,= recently prompted a Dutch church to announce that it will not take part in= the next assembly of the World Council of Churches(WCC), to be held in= Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, in September next year. "The main reason= [for the decision not to attend] is that in Zimbabwe there is a violation= of human rights, according to our vision," said Rene van den Berg, an= official and former secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the= Kingdom of the Netherlands (ELK). He said that the church's decision, taken= by its synodal commission, followed correspondence and discussion with the= WCC, of which ELK is a member. In a press release, ELK said it had chosen= not to attend "on account of the very unfavorable climate for homosexuals= in Zimbabwe . .. . The synodal commission intends with its decision to send= a clear signal of protest against the situation in Zimbabwe." There has= been widespread international publicity about the Mugabe's views, who has= said publicly on several occasions that homosexuals are not welcome in= Zimbabwe, that their behavior is comparable to that of animals and that= homosexuality is a Western import.
The WCC has negotiated a "Memorandum of= Understanding" with the Zimbabwean government which guarantees that the WCC= can conduct the gathering without interference. "For us it was obvious that= Mr. Mugabe will allow the WCC to gather, but only under strict conditions,"= van den Berg said. "Would the WCC have met in South Africa [under= apartheid]?" he asked. "I don't think so."
------------------------------------------------------ 23 April 1998 Zimbabwe president renews attack on homosexuals Harare, Zimbabwe (ENI). Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe launched a new attack on homosexuals yesterday, 22 April. "Animals in the jungle are better than these people because at least they know how to distinguish between a male and a female," said the Zimbabwean leader, speaking in the Shona language.
[Editor]
What do I know about this man, Mugabe? I know he condemns= homosexuality as God does. May God bless this man and strengthen him in= his stand against this abomination before God. If he is not worthy my= blessing (peace) will return to me. (Matt 10:13) ENI News Highlights contain summaries of ENI articles published today.
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