Can Africans Anglican congregations turn around? Rev Trevor Musonda Mwamba certainly hopes so.

The continent's been getting loads of anti-gay press in recent years. We've all heard of Peter Akinola of Nigeria's never-ending anti-gay crusade - and his recent ultimatum. The ever-vocal Archbishop swears he and his congregation will split from the international Communion if church leaders don't take a harder stand against the homos. Akinola recently received backup from Isaac Orama, also of Nigeria, who called gays "satanic".

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Bishop Nolbert Kunonga encouraged followers to reject the gay "abomination". With all the drama, one would think every African Anglican's gunning for the gays.

This, of course, would be a gross exaggeration.

Botswana's Mwamba hopes to turn the Anglican church around and steer clear of queer controversy:

Most African Anglicans want to get back to basics and concentrate on poverty, disease, injustice and the need for transparency in governments.
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Very few of us take the homosexual debate as top priority because there are more pressing issues facing the African churches. We must be careful in being dragged in proxy wars.

Mwamba insists the church must maintain the line between the spiritual and the secular. He also says Zimbabwe's religious leaders lost their way and should have done more to impede Robert Mugabe's disastrous regime.

A man of the cloth who actually cares about issues? How transcendent!