Gay US Anglican bishop speaks of physical threats against him

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Gene Robinson, the openly gay American bishop whose appointment has sparked furore within the Anglican church, said in an interview Monday he had received physical threats in recent years.

Speaking to the BBC while in Britain ahead of this summer's Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, Robinson said the controversy surrounding his appointment was "deeply troubling".

Robinson, who will be attending the fringes of the Lambeth Conference but has not been officially invited, told the broadcaster: "I'll be coming to the Lambeth Conference, and there have already been threats against me and others."

Asked whether he regarded the threats as serious, he replied: "Absolutely. This has been going on ever since I was elected Bishop of New Hampshire,...