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CANADA: Council expresses dismay over Uganda's proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Homosexuality is currently illegal in Uganda and carries a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. If passed, the proposed bill would extend the punishment to life imprisonment and introduce the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which includes assault against people under the age of 18 and those with disabilities.
"The proposed bill would severely impede the human rights of Ugandan citizens both at home and abroad by infringing freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, freedom of organization, and legitimate advocacy of civil rights," the Council of General Synod said Nov. 15. "It would impose excessive and cruel penalties on persons who experience same-sex attraction as well as those who counsel, support, and advise them, including family members and clergy."
The council, which meets twice a year, is responsible for overall strategic planning and visioning within the mandate of the church's General Synod.
Numerous human rights organizations have criticized the bill, first introduced on Oct. 13, saying it would criminalize the work of national and international activists and organizations working for the defense and promotion of human rights in Uganda.
The council affirmed the church's baptismal covenant, which "requires us to 'respect the dignity of every human being' and to 'seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.'"
The council also noted that the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1:10 "called upon the church to reject the irrational fear of homosexual persons and to create opportunities to listen to the voice and experience of homosexual Christians. We recall that the Primates Meeting in Dromantine, Ireland 2005 condemned all persecution and violence towards homosexual persons. Clearly, the proposed Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill fails to meet these standards."
The Anglican Church of Uganda on Nov. 6 issued a press release saying that it is studying the bill and does not yet have an official position on the proposed legislation. However, the release restated the Ugandan church's position that "homosexual behavior is immoral and should not be promoted, supported, or condoned in any way as an 'alternative lifestyle.'"
In October, Anglican Bishop Stanley Ntagali of the Diocese of Masindi-Kitara in Uganda told Ecumenical News International that homosexuals should not face the death penalty for sexual assault in some cases, but said that prison terms should remain as a deterrent.
Canada's Council of General Synod called upon the Church of Uganda to oppose the bill. It also called "upon our own Government of Canada, through the minister of external affairs, to convey to the Government of Uganda a deep sense of alarm about this fundamental violation of human rights and, through diplomatic channels, to press for its withdrawal..."
Meanwhile, Ekklesia, which describes itself as "an independent, not-for-profit think-tank which examines the role of religion in public life" is calling on Christians around the world to sign a petition in opposition of the bill. The petition also calls upon Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams "to end his silence on the matter, to condemn the bill in public and to urge Ugandan Christians to oppose it."
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