Hello? Anybody home?

There came in this morning's mail an announcement from Lambeth Palace concerning the "special and different" set up of the pseudo-Church that Pope Bennie has set up for "disaffected Anglicans.

This is, perhaps, yet another strategy for dealing with the shortage of Roman Catholic priests. The Onion has already reported one strategy. This would seem to be yet another, perhaps more satisfactory, approach.

Seems that +Rowan and +Vincent have put their seal of approval on the deal. Read and weep - or, rejoice, as the case may be:

Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony.

The "close cooperation" is that married Anglican priests may now become Roman priests, but not bishops. They seem to be saving that particular office for closeted, gay, Anglo-Catholic men.

NCR (National Catholic Reporter) is also carrying the story with this interesting note:

One apparent implication of today's announcement is that the current leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion, Australian Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth, could not be recognized as a bishop in a new personal ordinariate. Hepworth, a former Catholic priest, has been married twice and has three children.

Meanwhile, there's been 'radio silence' from Lambeth Palace concerning the new law in Uganda making "aggressive homosexuality" a capitol offense. Those found "guilty" are sentenced to death.

The "crime" has carried with it a life sentence and prohibition from any treatment for HIV/AIDS, but this is a much more aggressive attack on those the Ugandan government considers "aggressive homosexuals".

Guess the law hasn't been "aggressive" enough.

'Radio silence' has also been deafening from the Anglican church there. Oh, except for this little gem:

"Who is going to occupy Uganda 20 years from now if we all become homosexuals. We know that homosexuals don't reproduce," James Nsaba Buturo told a press conference.

"There is now a globalisation of homosexuality and people in Uganda are attempting to take advantage of the globalisation," he said. "It is an attempt to end civilisation. It is that serious."

Buturo, a devout member of the Church of Uganda, part of the Anglican Communion, called for anti-gay legislation to be enacted.

You can't make this stuff up!

The Muslim's in Uganda have already weighed in:

Sheikh Ramathan Shaban Mubajje told reporters of his plan following last October after a much publicized meeting with President Yoweri Museveni.

“I asked President Museveni to get us an island on Lake Victoria and we take these homosexuals and they die out there,” Mubajje said. “If they die there then we shall have no more homosexuals in the country.”

Nice guy, eh? What compassion!

Well, what did we expect, really? Just last year, the government passed a law - a LAW! - banning mini-skirts. Mr. Buturo said, at the time,

"What's wrong with wearing a miniskirt? You can cause an accident because some of our people are mentally weak. Wearing a miniskirt should be regarded as indecent, which would be punishable under Ugandan law."

Gives a whole new connotation to 'road rage', eh?

There's not been a peep much less a word from our own leadership at 815 Second Avenue - the national offices of The Episcopal Church.

***However, Rick Warren - yes, THAT Rick Warren - the evangelical leader of Saddleback Church - has responded to a plea from a group called "Other Sheep". You can read their mission and focus statement here.

This is part of their 'focus statement':

* Other Sheep is particularly, although not exclusively, directed to serving in geographical areas where information and organizations are still relatively scarce.

* To share the good news that God loves all people and calls us into inclusive communities;

* To provide programs, support, and counseling that build self-esteem and wholeness,
capacity to love and the freedom to participate fully in religious and community life;

* To network with and equip those who seek to challenge existing prejudices and discriminatory practices, especially in the areas of theological and pastoral training, human and civil rights, and HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

***This is part of Rick Warren's statement:

I am writing you because I am greatly distressed about proposed legislation in Uganda which if passed could lead to the systematic elimination of a certain segment of society. Already, citizens have left Uganda out of fear for their safety. I am writing about the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 that would, by use of the death penalty and imprisonment, effectively purge Uganda of LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) and any who would speak out on their behalf.

I am aware that, for the most part, evangelicals worldwide view same-sex sex between consenting adults as immoral. Nonetheless, I cannot believe that evangelicals can stand silently by and watch the Parliament of Uganda vote this inhumane bill into law, especially since evangelicals are so vehemently vocal on the issue of homosexuality.

Therefore, I am asking you to demonstrate that Yusufu Turaki’s inflexible and dogmatic article on “Homosexuality” is not to be misused by any evangelicals in Africa as an argument for the endorsement of the inhumane Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 by your swift denouncement of this bill. I urge you to openly denounce this bill.

You can read the whole thing here. (Hat tip to Paige for this source.)

The proposed new Ugandan is so awful, so heinous, so Evil that even Rick Warren is encouraging Evangelicals to speak out against it.

And yet, nothing - nada, zip, zilch, zero, bupkus - from Lambeth Palace or 815.

What's wrong with this picture?

I encourage you in joining me to write the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies to speak out against the inhumane Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.

Write to or call your own bishops, too. Encourage him/her to write to the ABC, the PB and the PHOD and ask for a swift denouncement of this bill.

What's that old bumper sticker from the 60's?

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

As Audre Lorde famously said, "Your silence will not protect you."

Sacrificing Anglicanism on the Altar of 'catholic' Unity is one thing. It's quite another to sacrifice the lives of LGBT people on the Altar of Bigotry and Ignorance.

***Update Note: My bad. The letter is not FROM Rick Warren but TO Rick Warren FROM "Other Sheep." My apologies.  Still 'radio silence' from Lambeth Palace and 815