Former Anglican Archbishop of New Zealand the Most Reverend Whakahuihui Vercoe, a Maori religious conservative who was outspoken in his opposition to gays in the priesthood, has died aged 80. Bishop Vercoe was a staunch and respected supporter of the status of Maori in New Zealand, but courted controversy by speaking out against homosexuality in and out of the Anglican Church. In 2004, he told the Weekend Herald he believed that homosexuality was unnatural, not morally right, and dreamed of a new moral uprising that would "rid the world of gays". "We don't persecute anybody but there are some things that we accept and some things we don't," he commented, predicting that the issue would split the Anglican Church. Following a public outcry and calls for his resignation, Vercoe backtracked slightly on the comments and claimed he never dreamed of a world without gays. His part-retraction was made in a written statement released through the Anglican National Office. Bishop Vercoe was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005, and remained politically active right up until his death. He passed away among family at his home in Rotorua. Ref: GayNZ.com, Radio New Zealand (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 14th September 2007 - 9:02am