Mangochi — THE Anglican Province of Central Africa broke up yesterday following the withdrawal of Harare Diocese and expressions of intent to pull out by other dioceses that accused the province of failing to censure some bishops dabbling in homosexuality.

The Diocese of Manicaland also expressed its intention to quit the province along with one other Zimbabwean diocese.

Its bishop said he needed to report to his diocese first before going public, making it three out of Zimbabwe's five dioceses.

According to the Standing Orders of the Province of Central Africa, once one diocese withdraws, the province becomes null and void and will have to be reconstituted under a new name and structure.

In highly charged presentations to the Provincial Synod that opened and ended here on Saturday, Bishop Elson Jakazi of Manicaland - who moved the motion for the dissolution of the province - and Vicar General of Harare Diocese Venerable Harry Mambo Rinashe - who seconded - took the outgoing Archbishop, the Right Reverend Dr Bernard Amos Malango, and the homosexual lobby within the province to task over the issue.

Both men described homosexuality as an unnatural abomination that had no place in the house of God.

Archbishop Malango, however, failed to save the situation after he botched condemning the homosexual lobby, led by the Bishop of Botswana, Trevor Musonda Mwamba, the Right Reverend Dr James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi and two Zimbabwean bishops, one of whom argued "sex was good", to the amusement of the packed synod.

Though in the end the synod drafted a resolution reaffirming its aversion to homosexuality, the anti-gay lobby, led by Bishop Nolbert Kunonga of Harare, was not convinced, particularly as the synod had been conveniently silent over the protracted issue of the Diocese of Lake Malawi which has been without a bishop for the past three years due to the impasse created by a London-based gay cleric, Nickie Henderson, who wants to buy a bishopric in the province.

Recently two American priests were ordained bishops in Kenya, countering the United States Episcopal Church's acceptance of homosexuals in the priesthood.

Bishop Kunonga told The Herald that the withdrawal of Harare Diocese was a matter of faith and principle.

"We have taken a position as a diocese and the position has been necessitated by the issue of homosexuality. We totally reject homosexuality; it is an abomination, it is totally against the law of God, and it diminishes the dignity of the human being.

"We also believe in the supremacy of the scriptures, the primacy of the scriptures and there is nowhere where homosexuality has been condoned."

Bishop Kunonga said Africans in general and Zimbabweans in particular have never tolerated homosexuality.

"On another level, the Constitution and laws of Zimbabwe do not permit us to engage, compromise or indulge in homosexuality. So when we look at all the angles - the religious life, the cultural side, the political system in which we operate - there is no institution that embraces homosexuality."

Dr Kunonga also dismissed the last-minute resolution drafted by the Provincial Synod reaffirming the province's opposition to the gay lobby as a face-saving move, saying the province's failure to discipline Bishop Mwamba and to resolve the Lake Malawi impasse proved that the cancer had spread in the province.

"It is believed and well known that one of the bishops in Zimbabwe - and we will not mention names here -- is also practicing homosexuality and received donations from outside. Those donations are believed to be coming from a man who was expelled or fired by previous bishops in Harare who has come back and is giving donations on behalf of the gay movement.

"There is also another bishop in Zambia receiving donations, issues of Lake Malawi, the accommodation of Rev Emmanuel Seruwada of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America to address synod, and Rt Rev Michael Doe (General Secretary) of USPG (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) to secretly lobby with donations. That is why we think it is becoming a cancer and has been happening a great deal."

In their addresses, Rev Seruwada and Bishop Doe had implored the synod to drop the issue of homosexuals from the agenda in exchange of funding for church projects. A day earlier, Rev Chad Gandiya of the USPG Africa Desk, who toured the diocese in Zimbabwe on a similar mission, attended a meeting of the Provincial Standing Committee where he expressed similar sentiments.

Bishop Jakazi of Manicaland said he stood by the decision taken by the Diocese of Harare.

"Manicaland Diocese has the same sentiments with Harare but my problem is I haven't held a synod yet in my diocese to confer with my people, but they already know my stand because I have come out very clearly on homosexuality before. I have been quoted in some newspapers, so it is not something I have thought of today, but it has been of concern in my ministry and in my diocese."

At its 61st Synod in August, the Diocese of Harare drafted and adopted an Act barring all its members from consorting with homosexuals.

The Act reads: "This Synod has unanimously agreed to make a Diocesan Act that with effect from the 4th of August 2007, the Diocese of Harare dissociates itself and severs relationship with any individual, group of people, organisation, institution, Diocese, Province or otherwise, which indulges, sympathises or compromises with homosexuality."

In November 2006, the Mothers' Union of the Church of the Province of Central Africa presented a petition to the Archbishop at a bishops' meeting in Manicaland condemning homosexuality.

The withdrawal of Harare Diocese is the second time a leading diocese has severed ties with the province following what the now Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Rev Peter Akinola, did years back when he dumped the Province, again over the issue of homosexuality.

In August 2003, Archbishop Akinola stated that if the non-celibate homosexual Rev Jeffrey John of the Church of England was consecrated as Bishop of Reading, the Church of Nigeria was going to leave the Anglican Communion.

Under pressure from Archbishop Akinola, Dr John withdrew from the race.