THE REV. CANON ALBERT OGLE - PRESIDENT OF ST. PAUL’S FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL RECONCILIATION in SDGLN.com:
Ten miles from a Ugandan blood-stained home, 300 friends, fellow activists from the LGBT community, his mourning mother and family joined foreign dignitaries and embassy staff to pay their respects to David Kato.
Since Kato was an Anglican, the local parish church of Nagojje was responsible for his funeral rites to be read from the Book of Common Prayer. Although tributes have been pouring into the Kato family from President Barack Obama and other international leaders, the Church of Uganda sent no priest, no bishop, but a Lay Reader to conduct the service.
Bishop Christopher Senyonjo arrived in his purple cassock accompanied by his wife Mary and let the master of ceremonies know he would like to say a few words at some point in the service. He was going to read a message from Frank Mughisu of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) where David worked tirelessly since 2004.
As an excommunicated bishop of the Church of Uganda, Christopher has no standing in the official hierarchy of the church. The Lay Reader began to make inappropriate remarks condemning homosexuality quite graphically and stating the Church of Uganda’s position that homosexuality was a sin and against the Bible.
All this in the presence of Kato's grieving mother and family.
Read on about the Anglican Lay Reader's anti-gay rant and the crowd cheering him on, as the funeral service turned into an anti-gay rally, followed by what Canon Ogle calls a Stonewall moment, when a young lesbian woman, Kasha, took over the microphone from the Lay Reader, and the voices of the friends and supporters of Kato began to be heard.
The Church of Uganda, a member of the Anglican family of churches to which I belong, took a pastoral opportunity for healing and reconciliation with family members and LGBT people and allies and turned the event into an anti-gay political rally. Following this horrific incident with the Lay Reader who condemned the LGBT community, Bishop Christopher, as a bishop of the church and wearing his purple cassock, walked behind the coffin carried by David’s friends and family to the graveside. There, although he was disinvited by the Church to speak at the funeral, he found a way to bring words of comfort to the mourners and said the final blessing over David’s battered remains.
In this one sad occasion, we can see there are two churches in Uganda and indeed elsewhere. The bishop was horrified by what he witnessed from his fellow Christians. Yet, it was good that Christopher was there. He told me he was honored to be there and though was not welcomed to speak to the whole assembly, had the final word of love and peace for David. May he rest in peace.
Sadly, a member of the Anglican family of churches to which I belong.
Lord have mercy!
Thanks be to God that the courageous Bishop Christopher spoke the final words of blessing for David Kato.
May God protect Bishop Christopher from all harm.
Thanks to Ann for the link.
