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SANDI TOKSVIG.jpg
Zefrog / Alamy Stock Photo
UK News

Writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig offers Justin Welby to go for coffee as she accuses him of making ‘horrible mistake’ on same-sex marriage

by Kelly Valencia

Danish-British comedian and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has written an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury following his decision to affirm the validity of the Lambeth 1.10 resolution. 

Earlier this week, Most Rev Justin Welby released a statement recognising the 1998 resolution - which describes homosexuality as "incompatible with Scripture - represents the stance of the majority members of the Anglican Communion.

But unhappy with his decision, the former Great British Bake Off host accused Archbishop Justin of making "a horrible mistake" by affirming the validity of the Lambeth 1.10 resolution and offered to talk to him over a coffee. 

"I know we've never met and I should probably call you 'your grace' or 'your eminence' or something, but I wish we were friends," Toksvig wrote. 

"If we were, I'd call you and say, 'Justin, Justin, what are you doing?'. We'd have had a chat and maybe I could persuade you that you have made a horrible mistake. It's what friends do for each other."

Members of the Anglican Communion are gathered in Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference, a once-in-a-decade event to discuss the topics challenging Anglicans across the world. 

Issues such as safeguarding, food poverty, climate change and sexuality are being discussed during the first week of August.

However, the issue of sexuality has been dominating the headlines as there's deep division within Anglicans on whether same-sex marriage is biblical. 

In his letter, Archbishop Justin also acknowledged those provinces who already bless same-sex marriage as part of the Anglican Communion and rejected the idea of imposing sanctions on them.

Toksvig continued: "So, you and your other religious pals got together at the Lambeth Conference and the main takeaway seems to be that gay sex is a sin. It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make clear in 2022 that no-one in your finely frocked gang has moved on from that.

"Seriously, with the state the world is in, that is what you wanted to focus on? You didn't have other more pressing matters like, I don't know, war or poverty?"

The 64-year-old host of panel show QI added: "This is a serious matter. The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake here.

"I have had several credible death threats over the years, sometimes requiring the very kind assistance of the police hate crime squad.

"Each and every one of those threats has come from an evangelical Christian. Inevitably they have wanted to kill me on God's behalf."

She ended her letter by stating: "Call me, Justin. Let's have coffee. Let me talk you round. You never know, I might even forgive you."

Toksvig came out as gay in 1994 and has been in a same-sex relationship since 2007.

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