The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the Church of Englgnd accepting gay marriage could be catastrophic for Christian elsewhere

The Most Rev Justin Welby told
LBC that hundreds of Christians
in Africa had been killed by
people who associated
Christianity with homosexuality.

He warned the same could
happen if the Church of England
backed gay unions.
Same-sex marriage became
legal in England and Wales last
week, but is not supported by
the Church.

Mass grave
Speaking on his first live phone-
in on LBC Radio, Archbishop
Welby recalled visiting a grave in
South Sudan where 369 people
had been buried.
He said the victims had been
killed because local people
believed allowing a Christian
community to exist would mean
"we would all be made to
become homosexual".

"That burns itself into your soul",
he said. "As does the suffering
of gay people in this country."
He also spoke of visiting a group
of Christians in Africa who had
been attacked because of
policies of churches in America.
'Enormous suffering'
And he said religious figures in
South Sudan had pleaded with
him not to change Church policy
because it would mean they
could no longer accept help
from England.

Archbishop Welby in South
Sudan on his tour of Africa
earlier this year
Archbishop Welby
acknowledged that homophobic
behaviour causes "enormous
suffering".
But he said there is a "danger"
in looking for "simple solutions".
He added: "The impact of that on
Christians in countries far from
here, like South Sudan, like
Pakistan, Nigeria and other
places would be absolutely
catastrophic - and we have to
love them as much as the people
who are here."

Global scale
Rev Bob Callaghan, the National
Coordinator of Inclusive Church,
which wants the church to be
"open to all", said violence
against Christians abroad was a
risk.
He said the Church in England
would need to consider the
impact of a change in its stance
"on a global scale".
But he added: "The debate is not
happening and that is part of
the problem".

Reference: BBC News