From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2013
While Victor Tonye Bakot, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Yaounde, Cameroon argues that marriage of persons of the same sex is a serious crime against humanity, retired Kenyan Anglican Archbishop David Gitari says churches should have a dialogue with gays, arguing that if the reasons for criminalization (homosexuality) are moral, then by criminalizing gays, an opportunity of freedom to choose ‘good from evil,’ a God given gift is denied of them.” Click here to view Touching Photos Of Gay Couples Finally Getting Hitched.
The bishop who was speaking during the meeting in his home when Reverends Michael Kimindu and Collin Coward and former Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya general Manager, David Kuria, visited him last year says he would support any move to cater for the spirituality of gay and lesbian Kenyans.
On Saturday bishop Gitari was quoted to say that the church in Africa is conservative that is why they are opposed to homosexuals.
Although bishop Gitari says he does not support ordination of gay bishop, he does not have any problem with ordination of gay priests. He is opposed to the decision by a small group of Anglican bishops in the UK to allow gay priests to become bishops.
Unlike Bishop Victor Tonye Bakot, Gitari argues that there is no way marriage of persons of the same sex can become a serious crime against humanity. As defined by the Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court crime against humanity are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings.
Murder; extermination; torture; rape; political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice.
Although as in most African nations, homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon, for most Cameroonians, homosexuals are members of some evil sects where sodomy is a part of mystical rituals.
Article 347 of the Cameroonian Penal Code states: “Whoever has sexual relations with a person of the same sex shall be punished with imprisonment, ranging from six months to five years and with a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 CFA Francs (between 24, 50 and 245 euros)”.
In some countries, the Catholic Church has already joined forces with Jews, Muslims and members of other religions to oppose the legalization of gay marriage, in some cases presenting arguments based on legal, social and anthropological analyses rather than religious teachings.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002