Tutu criticises 'gay obsession'

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The South African Nobel laureate said God "must be weeping" at seeing that the Church had such misplaced priorities. He also criticised the present Archbishop of Canterbury for not demonstrating the attributes of a "welcoming God".

Speaking to Michael Buerk for a special Radio 4 programme, Archbishop Tutu, 76, said: "Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and Aids - a devastating pandemic, and conflict. God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another. In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."

The Archbishop said the Anglican Church had appeared "extraordinarily homophobic" during the debate over whether Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, should be allowed to be the Bishop of New Hampshire.

Archbishop Tutu said he felt "saddened" and "ashamed" of his church at that time.

He admitted that he still felt sadness over the affair. When asked if he still felt ashamed, he said : "If we are going to not welcome or invite people because of sexual orientation, yes. If God as they say is homophobic I wouldn't worship that God."

The Archbishop also rebuked religious conservatives who say that homosexuality is a choice that gay people make. He said: "It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race infected society."

Criticising Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Tutu said: "Why doesn't he demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God."

The US conservative bishop, Robert Duncan, Ann Widdecombe MP, and former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey criticise Archbishop Tutu's views during the programme. Ms Widdecombe accuses him of blurring the lines between right and wrong.

From Calvary To Lambeth will be aired on BBC Radio 4 on 27 November at 8pm.