The Prayer Campaign for a Slain Ugandan Gay Rights Activist

The Takeaway

Today is the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event attended by President Obama and organized by “The Family,” a Washington-based fellowship of Christian politicians.  “The Family” is also known for its close affiliation with the Ugandan politicians who proposed making homosexuality a capital offense. A coalition of  religious leaders are now calling on President Obama to recite a prayer for David Kato, a prominent, Ugandan gay rights activist who was bludgeoned to death in January, at the National Prayer Breakfast today.  

The link between Kato’s sexuality and the murder is unclear –  the man who confessed to the murder claims he attacked Kato because of a “personal disagreement” –  but Kato was known for his strong opposition to Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill.

Bishop Gene Robinson, the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States, and the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, talks about his “Prayer for David Kato” campaign. Pepe Julian Onziema, a gay rights activist and close friend of David Kato’s joins us from Uganda.

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