Anglican leader sees 'grave peril'

NEW YORK — Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, struggling to hold together the troubled world Anglican family, urged church leaders gathered Sunday in England not to consecrate another gay bishop, saying the fellowship will be in "grave peril" without a moratorium.

In his final speech at the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference, Archbishop Williams said Anglicans need "space for study and free discussion without pressure" about whether to accept changes in traditional biblical understanding of same-sex relationships. He also asked churches to refrain from adopting official prayers for blessing same-gender unions.

"If the North American churches don't accept the need for moratoria, then to say the least, we are no further forward," Archbishop Williams said at a news conference ending the 20-day assembly in Canterbury. "That means as a communion we continue to be in grave peril."

The 77 million-member Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Williams barred Robinson and a few other bishops from the meeting, and designed the event without legislation or votes, instead focusing on rebuilding frayed relationships.

Still, more than 200 theologically conservative bishops boycotted the gathering, upset that Williams had invited Episcopal leaders who consecrated Robinson. In June, just before Lambeth began, those same conservative bishops formed a new global network within the communion that challenges Williams' authority but stops short of a permanent split.

Williams does not have the authority to force an agreement among the conflicted groups. The 38 Anglican national churches, including the U.S. Episcopal Church, are self-governed and loosely connected by shared roots in the missionary work of the Church of England.

But the 650 bishops at Lambeth said Sunday in a statement, which they called their "reflections" on the meeting, that "there is widespread support across the communion" for an extended moratorium on gay bishops and on blessing ceremonies for same-gender couples.

"A fellow Christian may believe they have a profound fresh insight," Williams said in his final address. "But the Christian with the new insight can't claim straight away that this is now what the Church of God believes or intends."

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued a brief statement that did not address the requested bans. She said the communion "is suffering the birth pangs of something new" and urged patience in the church.