"NewsWrap" for the week ending September 29, 2007 (As broadcast on "This Way Out" program #1,018, distributed 10-1-07) [Written by Greg Gordon, with thanks to Graham Underhill, and Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley] Reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Sheri Lunn Bishops of the Episcopal Church, the U.S. wing of the 77-million-member global Anglican Communion, announced this week that they would "exercise restraint" by not considering any new candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" to the Church. In a statement released after an intense six-day meeting in New Orleans, during which the Church's spiritual leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams paid a visit, they also vowed not to authorize official prayers to bless same-gender couples. Bishops in conservative regions of the Church, mostly in Africa, Latin America and Asia, had demanded unequivocal pledges from the Episcopal Church to disavow those actions by September 30th, the deadline set by Anglican bishops meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania earlier this year. Lesbigay advocates accused the Episcopal bishops of “selling out” to conservatives, but some traditionalists criticized what they called a cleverly worded declaration of defiance. The dispute over homosexuality has been festering within the Anglican Communion, a loose federation of 38 national churches around the world, since the Episcopal Church consecrated openly gay bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire in 2003. They elevated Robinson, who lives with his male partner, despite a declaration by Anglican bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference in 1998 that homosexual relationships are incompatible with Scripture. Some conservative critics of the Episcopal statement said it was issued only to insure that the next Lambeth Conference could be held as scheduled in England in July 2008. The center of the storm, openly gay Bishop Robinson, called the New Orleans meeting "the hardest days since my consecration," but said he thought the Episcopal Bishops' document was “fair.” The head of the Anglican Church in Australia, Phillip Aspinall, said he believed that “the [Episcopal] House of Bishops has responded positively to all the requests put to them by the primates in our Dar es Salaam communiqué.” Bishop David Beetge, vicar general of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, said he welcomed the statement "for the simple reason it gives us more space and time to talk to each other." The spokesman of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Aron Mwesigye, said the U.S. bishops "deserve to be appreciated for making such a good decision.” But, he added, “I also appeal to the gay bishops to repent and come out to live normal lives." The head of Kenya's Anglican Church, Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi wasn't satisfied with the statement at all, saying it was "not enough." Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, who's lead the charge against U.S. Episcopal efforts at inclusion, wrote on his Web site this week that "Instead of the change of heart (repentance) that we sought, what we have been offered is merely a temporary adjustment." Akinola set up the Convocation of Anglicans in North America in 2005 to oversee breakaway Episcopal congregations in the United States opposed to Robinson's consecration. Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda have violated Anglican tradition that they minister only within their own provinces by consecrating defecting Episcopal bishops. In this week's statement, the Episcopal House of Bishops also said they "deplore" such incursions and "call for them to end." Akinola has threatened to boycott Lambeth if the U.S. bishops he's consecrated aren't allowed to attend. They haven't been invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Robinson has been invited, but won't be allowed to directly participate. Giles Goddard, who chairs Inclusive Church in Britain, told the “Associated Press” that attempts to reconcile the split were now effectively dead, especially since some breakaway conservative Episcopal churches have already re-aligned themselves with conservative bishops in Africa. Commitments by traditionalists at the Dar es Salaam meeting to listen to the concerns of gays and lesbians were not carried out "with any degree of seriousness by those people who have most to lose by genuine engagement,” he said. The Reverend Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitude England, said he believed that the U.S. bishops had satisfied the ultimatum, and laid responsibility for the future of the Communion at the feet of their conservative critics. If they "continue to press for the exclusion of the Episcopal Church, transgress provincial boundaries, and decide not to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2008,” he said, “they will take responsibility for provoking a tear in the Anglican Communion and will have withdrawn from the fellowship.” In other news, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act passed the U.S. Senate this week, despite a threatened veto by George W. Bush. The measure has already passed the House, but the two versions of the bill must be reconciled before heading to the president's desk. In a bid to thwart the threatened veto, the Senate's chief sponsor, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, attached the bill as an amendment to a critical Defense spending bill. He was among several to eloquently urge its passage during Senate debate: [ca. :30 Kennedy drop-in] Federal hate crime laws already cover people on the basis of race and religion. The Shepard Act adds sexual orientation and gender identity. "By passing this bill with comprehensive language,” said Jon Hoadley of National Stonewall Democrats, “this legislation will provide law enforcement agencies with the tools needed to fully prosecute bias motivated crimes." Many Republicans and their socially conservative supporters have argued that adding sexuality and gender identity to hate crime laws would muzzle the free speech rights of religious leaders to denounce homosexuality from the pulpit. Proponents stress that the measure targets actions, not words. FBI statistics show that one in six reported hate crimes is motivated by the victim's sexual orientation. Judy and Dennis Shepard, the parents of the infamously gay-bashed-to-death Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard, called the measure “an essential step to erasing hate in America, and we are humbled that it bears our son's name." The White House has not yet indicated if Bush will veto the Defense bill to kill the Shepard Act. Portugal's new penal code, which took effect September 15th, includes several new laws concerning sexual orientation, according to a report on the “PortugalGay.PT” Web site. Same-gender couples are now treated the same as heterosexuals in areas such as domestic violence, murder -- the penalty is higher if the victim is one's partner -- and obstruction of justice -- which has a lower penalty when one is protecting a partner. The code also enhances the penalty for murders committed because of a victim's sexual orientation, and criminalizes the organizing, assisting or promoting of group actions that "foment discrimination" based on sexual orientation. Those offenses carry a one- to eight-year prison sentence. It also makes it illegal to "promote... violence against a person or group of persons based on sexual orientation" in the media or on the Internet, under penalty of six months to five years in prison. The code also equalizes the age of consent, and laws on sexual abuse -- 14 if there is no "abuse of inexperience", or 16 otherwise. The maximum penalty for any crime in Portugal is 25 years in prison. But some members of Rwanda's Parliament are calling for a law to make homosexuality illegal, according to a report this week in Kigali's “New Times” newspaper. The African country has no laws against same-gender sex, and while Deputy Francis Kaboneka claimed that there were few “cases” of homosexuality in the country, "We need to have a law against this vice." "... [O]ur culture only allows a man to have a relationship with a woman,” added Deputy Henriette Sebera, “and that is why anybody caught in that act should be punished." The chairman of the Kigali Bar Association, Gatera Gashabana, said that, "If we happen to have such a case then we would refer to some articles of immorality in the Penal Code." But attorney Christopher Niwemugabo argued that, "The punishment can come up if only there was use of force, but if the two agreed upon [it], then there is no reason why they should be punished." Rwanda's Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama told the newspaper that the Penal Code is being reviewed, and punishments for homosexuality have been considered. "Issues of prostitution and homosexuality are sensitive,” he said, “but the government has more concerns to give prominence to than those." And finally, a judge took U.S. Senator Larry Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge under advisement this week. The plea to the reduced misdemeanor offense stemmed from Craig's June 11th arrest in a men's-room sex sting operation at the airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conservative Idaho Republican has denied any inappropriate behavior and has denied being gay. He's announced that he'll stay in office for the time being, despite calls from Republican Party leaders for him to leave, and his earlier statement that he'd resign on September 30th. Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter said he probably wouldn't rule until sometime in October on Craig's request. Meanwhile, the infamous airport men's room where Craig was arrested is getting new stall dividers that drop nearly to the floor to make it much more difficult for those seeking sexual encounters. Gay cruising Web sites had already named that restroom as a popular location for so-called t-room sex, and some visitors have since been treating it as a tourist attraction. The Minneapolis airport has more than 80 restrooms, but only two are getting the new dividers, including the one now known for Craig's arrest. Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said installing new stall dividers in all restrooms there would cost a prohibitive million dollars, but that they'll spend about 25,000 dollars for the two targeted “makeovers.” Disappointed t-room devotees may rally around a new chant: “Mr. Hogan, tear down those walls!” ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com