This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo praised Africa's Anglican bishops Wednesday for opposing same-sex unions and the appointment of gays as bishops, saying gay unions were contrary to the Bible.
Last week, a panel set up by the head of the Anglican Church and Bishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams issued a report condemning the blessing of same-sex marriages and the appointment of gay bishops.
But Peter Akinola, head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria and chairman of the African bishops' conference, rejected the report because it also had disapproved of harsh criticism against homosexuality.
''I wholeheartedly salute the wisdom, courage and resilience of African bishops within the Anglican Communion for standing so firmly against attempts to undermine our faith and falsify God's will and the word of God,'' Obasanjo, a Baptist, told African bishops meeting in Lagos.
