Over the weekend more than 100 priests, including several former bishops and 20 deans, signed an open letter to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York calling on the church to apologise for its alleged acceptance and promotion of discrimination against LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex) people.
And following the beginning of a week-long meeting of the Primates – the 38 leaders of national churches – which could result in a split in the Anglican community over attitudes towards homosexuality, the Very Rev Bob Key has said that there are ‘far more important issues’ that need to be addressed and that the letter was being used as ‘an emotional grenade’.
Mr Key confirmed that although he did not support the move, he is against any form of discrimination, adding that gay people were ‘very welcome’ in Jersey churches.
Asked whether the gay community had been discriminated against by the Church in Jersey, Mr Key said he was not in a position to answer, but added that sexual discrimination was ‘an important issue in society’.
And with the possibility of a split in the Anglican community as a result of tensions between conservative and more liberal leaders around the issue of sexual discrimination, Mr Key said it was important that the Church of England came together as one family.
