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The Archbishop of York yesterday made an impassioned intervention in the debate on the ordination of women bishops on the eve of a crucial vote on the issue by a bitterly divided Church of England.

Speaking at the church’s General Synod in York, John Sentamu said that Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was being made a scapegoat by traditionalists who blame him for opening up divisions in the Anglican communion over women priests and gays.

His comments came as the church was warned that it was in danger of “shattering” in the wake of tomorrow’s historic vote on a proposal to consecrate women.

Some members of the synod urged a postponement of the vote until more detailed proposals could be drawn up on how to cater for opponents.

Some bishops have held covert talks in Rome on possible arrangements to join the Catholic church should the General Synod go ahead with women bishops. “It has all been very cloak and dagger,” said a source.

Sentamu said it had “grieved” him deeply to hear the “ungracious personalisation” of the issue in the criticisms made of Williams, who has been accused of failing to provide adequate leadership.

Traditionalists have accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of fomenting schism by failing to discipline the liberal American bishops who consecrated Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, in 2003.

“The accusations and inferences of what has been said by some are not only ungenerous and unwarranted but they describe a person I don’t recognise as Rowan,” said Sentamu.

Such a strong statement of support is unprecedented and the fact that Sentamu felt it necessary to make it illustrates how deep the church’s difficulties go.

Prudence Dailey, a lay member of the synod from Oxford, warned: “We are not talking about a clean schism. We are talking about a shattering of the church, right now.”

Ruth Gledhill is religion correspondent for The Times