ACK suspends four gay ‘married with kids’ priests
By KNAThe Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Mt. Kenya West Diocese has suspended five of its clergymen accused of engaging in homosexuality.
The five clergymen, of whom four are married with children, were found guilty of engaging in the unlawful practice with their faithful by the church standing committee of the synod.
Communicating the decision to the media on Thursday, the Diocese Head Bishop Joseph Kagunda said there were sufficient grounds to suspend the five following evidence presented by various witnesses to the diocesan tribunal that some of them were engaging in the practice.
Bishop Kagunda said the first report came in mid-August when a young man came seeking for prayers to be freed from guilt consciousness after he was lured into the act by one of the church senior clergy.
He said in course of investigations instituted against the accused clergyman, four others were adversely mentioned and after follow up, some confessed their involvement in the practice while others went through full trial.
REPENT AND REFORM
The Bishop however said their names could not be revealed since they still had a right of appeal, an opportunity to repent and reform their ways and the biblical requirement of resolving issues in-house, noting that the church is in no way abetting the practice.
“It has been our desire to resolve this issue as a church through the established structures without blowing the whistle. However, it must be noted that the Anglican Church of Kenya and particularly the Diocese is totally against any kind of gay practice and marriage,” said the Bishop.
He noted that the furthest the church could go over such matter was suspension or excommunication of the alleged suspect(s), adding that it was the choice of the government or those lured into the act to pursue the matter in a court of law.
Bishop Kagunda further clarified that none of the parishioners alleged to have engaged in the practice with the clergy men were minors.