That’s how Anglican Bishop Isaac Oramo, of the province of Nigeria (Abp. Akinola’s stomping ground) refers to gays (emphasis mine).
The Anglican Bishop of Uyo, Rt. Rev. Isaac Orama, has condemned the activities of homosexuals and lesbians, and described those engaged in them as “insane people”. “It is scaring that any one should be involved in a thing like that and I want to say that they will not escape the wrath of God,” he said.
Orama told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Uyo, that the practice, which has worsened over the years, was “unbiblical and against God’s purpose for creating man”.
“Homosexuality and lesbianism are inhuman. Those who practice them are insane, satanic and are not fit to live because they are rebels to God’s purpose for man,” the Bishop said.
Nice. And oh-so-Christlike.
No word on whether his boss has had anything to say about Bp. Orama’s ranting. Nor any word on the reactions of his brothers-in-Nigerian-polity here in the US (such as Rev. Armstrong down at Grace CANA).
Susan Russell has a few choice words to say, though. And some respectable conservatives like Kendall Harmon have utterly condemned the statement (while too many others have made “I disagree but …” noises).
UPDATE: UPI pulled the original article at the request of the Nigerian organization that released it (judge that as you may). A PDF of the original is here.
Further updates. Canterbury is “deeply shocked.” At least one Nigerian source has denied the statements were made in the first place, but it’s all second-hand and of dubious source.
The article has been pulled from the UPI site, but the Akinola Repent blog saved it as a PDF. So you can fix your linky.
As Fr Jake points out, ten days later there’s been dead silence from Bp Orama, from any official published diocesan or provincial news source, or from Abp Aknola, the Orama’s boss. Are they hoping it will be forgotten?
Okay, there *are* a few more interesting developments here, as reported by Mark Harris:
Stand Firm, a conservative site, posts a retraction by the newspaper article author. Or is it? The e-mail address / domain for News Agency of Nigeria (the official government news agency) is apparently wrong (spoofed? or mistranscribed?).
It’s also an odd apology, saying in essence, “the words I attributed weren’t accurate, but I didn’t do it ‘in bad faith’ and I support evangelization.” Huh?
The source of the letter is also unclear (no official word from NAN, for example, let alone from UPI). It just appeared.
And, of course, there are rumors that the reporter was under pressure (job pressure, at the very least) over the matter.
Bp. Orama has been quoted now at the Church of Nigeria web site.
Again, it’s difficult to see how the “actual” statement could have been morphed into the “false” statement without massive “bad faith.” It also doesn’t explain why CoN or the bishop didn’t issue a formal objection sooner. Nor does the statement — not a message from the bishop himself, but (again) reporting about his remarks actually object to the “false” statement based on anything other than its falsity.
Further, the words (or a PowerPoint presentation) of the bishop’s address to the synod are now also online. Though he says some interesting, even constructive and laudatory bits (per Mark Harris’s quotes), he doesn’t say anything like what was originally quoted.
But, then, the original story cited it as being from a statement to NAN, not from an address to the synod.
The conservatives appear ready to call it all a hoax and demand apologies. The liberals appear ready to concede we’ll probably not learn anything more about it. I remain unconvinced.