An Auckland priest has warned his that the attitude of the Anglican Church to gay issues is driving gays and lesbians away, creating a "community in exile." The Rev Hugh Kempster of Grey Lynn's Columba Anglican Church conducts civil union ceremonies but is banned from performing them in his own church. Rev Kempster told the New Zealand Herald a "cold war" is raging within his church over civil unions and to a lesser extent the ordination of gay and lesbian priests. And this is sorely impacting his gay and lesbian parishioners. "I can't keep quiet on issues like this, because it is a pastoral concern I have for people in this community who are hurting," he said. Many of the Reverend's parishioners are in same-sex relationships, and he finds the restriction on performing civil union ceremonies in church is discriminatory. "My prayer is that the Anglican Church in New Zealand will soon wake up to the fact that God is a God of love, and does not discriminate over sexual orientation," Rev Kempster wrote in a letter to the New Zealand Herald. He may be waiting for some time for any significant change of attitude within the church. Bishop Richard Randerson, Auckland's second Anglican boss, said, "I don't think it's going to be an issue that is going to be resolved quickly. There are starkly opposed views in the church." Nevertheless, he praises Mr Kempster for his stand on civil unions, although the church has not declared an official stance on the issue.