Official Anglican split proposed over Episcopal Church's inclusion of gays

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, is drawing up plans to officially expel the U.S. Episcopal Church over its acceptance of gays. The archbishop is punishing the U.S. church for consecrating Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, as bishop of New Hampshire three years ago, an act that has propelled the worldwide church to the brink of schism, The Times of London reports.

Archbishop Williams is proposing a two-track Anglican Communion, with orthodox churches being accorded full "constituent" membership and the pro-gay churches being consigned to "associate" membership. All provinces will be offered the chance to sign up to a "covenant" that will set out traditional biblical standards on which all full members of the Anglican Communion can agree.

The Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church in Canada and New Zealand, which have been inclusive of gay couples, are not likely to commit themselves to such a document, the Times reports. Should they refuse, they could opt to cut ties to Canterbury altogether or could choose to remain in "associate" status.

The proposal will be discussed soon at the next meeting of the standing committee of the 38 primates and then again at the primates' meeting in February. They will come to the table of the worldwide church, along with the wording of the proposed covenant, at the Lambeth Conference in 2008. It is then that the Episcopal Church and others will face the choice of signing up to biblical orthodoxy or walking away from the Anglican Communion table to the hinterland of "associate" status. (The Advocate)