Anglican Church could split by end of year

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent in New Orleans
Last Updated: 7:25pm BST 24/09/2007

The worldwide Anglican Church is expected to split radically by the end
of the year under plans being drawn up by a leading conservative
archbishop to "adopt" a breakaway group of American dioceses, the Daily
Telegraph has learned.

Under the unprecedented proposals, the archbishop would allow the
conservative dioceses to opt out of the liberal American branch of the
Anglican Church and affiliate with his province thousands of miles away.

It is understood that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams,
has been informed of the plans.

But Dr William's advisers fear that they could create fresh chaos and
accelerate the widespread fragmentation of the Anglican Communion even
in the Church of England.

Conservatives believe, however, that Dr Williams is now openly siding
with the liberals and allowing the Communion to fall apart by default,
leaving conservatives stranded.

Until now, only parishes have left the American Episcopal Church and
affiliated with overseas provinces in Africa, often amid acrimonious and
costly disputes over property.

But under the new plans, whole dioceses will for the first time transfer
their allegiances, a significant escalation of the conflict which will
be seen as highly provocative by American liberals.

There have already been extensive secret consultations between the
American conservative bishops and the bishops of the province that is
preparing to adopt them.

The leader of the conservative Network bishops in America, the Bishop of
Pittsburg, the Rt Rev Bob Duncan, predicted that up to five dioceses
could make the leap, which he characterized as a "modern-day Reformation".

He said that at least three had plans to vote on the issue in their
diocesan synods in the coming months to legitimize their decision.

But the Episcopal Church is almost certain to declare such dioceses
vacant and appoint new bishops, leaving two rival Anglican entities
running parallel with each other within the same geographical area.

Bishop Duncan said that Dr William's efforts to keep the worldwide
Church together at all costs had undermined his own authority as
Archbishop of Canterbury.

"The attempt to hold everything together may prove a fatal mistake for
Anglicanism and his office," said Bishop Duncan.

He also said that the "victory" of Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop
whose consecration in 2003 sparked the crisis, had "come at a tremendous
cost."

"The Episcopal Church which formed me and which I have served all my
life is almost unrecognizable," he added. "Yet I haven't changed, nor
have so many of us."

Meanwhile, Anglican Church officials and a coalition of liberal and
conservative American bishops have been working on a compromise aimed at
keeping the Episcopal Church within worldwide Anglicanism.

The proposals, which were discussed by the whole House of Bishops
yesterday, will fall short of conservative demands for unequivocal
assurances that they would end same sex blessings and further
appointments of gay bishops indefinitely.

But they are likely to be seized on by Dr Williams as evidence that the
Americans have modified their pro-gay agenda sufficiently to prevent
their expulsion from the worldwide Church.

The Americans are also expected to suggest the creation of a new
pastoral council made up of members from across the worldwide Church
representing a spectrum of opinions to sort out disputes and preempt
conflicts.