The executive committee of the synod of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church, the largest church in the Christian-majority state, decided at the beginning of June that the church will not condone homosexuality in any way, and may excommunicate some homosexuals.
“Our church will discipline such people, and they will not be allowed to take part in sacraments,” C. Rosiama, a leader of the Mizo church and former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of India, told ENI news on June 11 from Aizwal, the capital of Mizoram.
The Presbyterian Church of India is made up of eight independent church synods all based in northeast India, a region sandwiched between
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar, and connected to the Indian mainland by a narrow strip of land.
Rosiama pointed out that the Mizo synod had decided that homosexuals living together as couples will not be excommunicated from the church.
Still, he added, since such behavior is against the “tenets of Christianity,” the synod had decided that such people should not be allowed to hold any posts or preach in the church, even if they are ordained.
“Homosexuality is a license for immorality, and we cannot approve it,” said Rosiama.
The synod discussed the issue in December 2009 because church delegates felt that the present policy of the church was too lenient on homosexuals.
The announcement by the Mizo church came soon after a “gay marriage” in neighboring Manipur state in March.
Two days after the first such public marriage in the state, the couple involved parted, “by mutual consent” following “resistance from their
parents.” The parents of 26-year-old Soibam Sandip and 28-year-old Nikhil Hidangmayum had filed a complaint with the police against the Christian-style wedding.
The couple agreed to part after police “counseled” them to renounce their marriage.
