Archbishop of Canterbury apologises to LGBT community for ‘hurt and pain’ caused by the Church
By Will Stroude
The archbishop of Canterbury has apologised to the LGBT for the “hurt and pain” caused by the church.
During a meeting of Anglican leaders, Justin Welby said it was a “constant source of deep sadness” that people were persecuted because of their sexuality around the world, adding that seeing anti-gay protesters, particularly those from Christian African nations, was a reminder of the “pain and suffering of many LGBTI people around the world”.
“For me it’s a constant source of deep sadness, the number of people who are persecuted for their sexuality,” the Church of England leader said.
“I don’t have the right to speak for everyone. I wanted to take this opportunity … to say how sorry I am for the hurt and pain, in the past and present, the church has caused.”
Welby’s comments come after church leaders agreed to sanction the US branch of the Anglican church after it decided to publicly back marriage equality.
Measures have been agreed by senior church figures against the US Episcopal church after it made a “fundamental departure from the faith and teaching” of the church by by endorsing same-sex marriage.
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