News for Week Ending 12/5/2011

Nigerian Senate passes anti-gay bill

CNN reported December 1, 2011, that the Nigerian Senate has passed the anti-homosexual bill introduced earlier this year. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The draconian bill—a conviction for homosexuality could lead to a 14-year prison sentence—must pass the House of Representatives and be signed by the president before it can become law. International pressure is being brought to bear on Nigeria to derail the bill’s passage.

Canterbury lobbies for Covenant in Advent message

Archbishop of Canterbury has taken advantage of his annual Advent letter to the primates to again urge passage of the Anglican Covenant. (The letter can also be read in an Anglican Communion News Service story of November 20, 2011, which offers an overview of the letter.) “I must continue to commend the Covenant as strongly as I can to all who are considering its future,” Williams tells his readers.

In England, another diocese has voted for adoption of the Covenant. The Diocese of Bristol has announced the vote on its Web site. To date, four Church of England dioceses have voted to send the matter to the General Synod for a final vote and four dioceses have voted to reject the Covenant. Twenty-three dioceses must vote in favor of the Covenant for it to be considered by the church’s General Synod.

Abandonment charges not brought against S.C. bishop

Episcopal News Service reported November 28, 2011, that the Disciplinary Board for Bishops has declined to bring a charge of abandoning The Episcopal Church against Bishop of South Carolina Mark Lawrence. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Bishop Dorsey Henderson has released a statement about the Lawrence affair on behalf of the Disciplinary Board.

The recent action by Bishop Lawrence to give quitclaim deeds to parishes was not taken into consideration by the Disciplinary Board. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) On December 4, 2011, however, Bishop of East Carolina Clifton Daniel wrote a letter to Lawrence requesting clarification about the quitclaim deeds and requesting a face-to-face meeting between Lawrence and bishops of District 4.