African Anglican bishops voiced their strong disapproval of homosexuality at a meeting Tuesday attended by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, as the issue continues to divide Anglicans.

"Homosexuality is incompatible with the word of God," said conference host and Ugandan Archbishop Uganda Henry Luke Orombi.

"It is good Archbishop Rowan is here. We are going to express to him where we stand," he added.

Head of the Anglican church worldwide, Williams is struggling to keep the communion together amid disagreements over the ordination of female bishops in Britain, and of openly gay bishops in the United States.

"There is already a break. It doesn't need to be announced," said Orombi.

Williams delivered a sermon Tuesday at the opening of the six-day meeting, the first of its kind since 2004.

While he did not mention homosexuality, he said it was the duty of all bishops to be open-minded on contentious issues.

"We must learn to listen to those we lead and serve to find out what their hopes and needs and confusions are. We must love them and attend to their humanity in all its diversity," Williams said.

However the head of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa left little doubt that his position on the matter is settled.

"Today, the West is lacking obedience to the word of God," Reverend Ian Ernest of Mauritius told journalists on the sidelines of the conference.

"It is for us, Africans, to redress the situation," he said, adding that he has severed all ties to the Episcopalian churches in Canada and the United States that have allowed gays to enter the clergy.

Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries and is punishable by a prison sentence.

In Uganda, a drastic anti-gay bill has been met with criticism from Western states and rights group, notably for imposing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" in cases of rape of a minor by a person of the same sex, or where one partner has HIV.

source: AFP