A leading conservative cleric has launched a devastating attack on the Archbishop of Canterbury, accusing him of “betrayal” and calling his office a “remnant of imperial colonialism”.

Writing in The Times, the Most Rev Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda, says Rowan Williams has betrayed churches that remain true to the Bible by inviting colleagues who consecrated the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire to the Lambeth Conference.

Archbishop Orombi, a leader of the conservative Global South bishops and one of 230 to boycott the conference, indicates that to ensure long-term unity, future Anglican leaders will need to be more representative of the wider Church.

The Archbishop of Uganda stands by the biblical texts that rule against homosexuality but says that he and his peers do not want to cause schism by leaving the Anglican Communion.

The history of the Lambeth Conference

Our historical guide traces the origins and issues that dominated the agenda at past Lambeth conferences

From the Times Archive, 1867

The first Lambeth Conference had its issues, but participants hoped future meetings would evoke the same fraternal spirit

• 1920 Conference: Birth Control

• 1958 Conference: Family Planning

• 1978 Conference: Ordination Of Women

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He writes: “Even the Pope is elected by his peers. But what Anglicans have is a man appointed by a secular government. Over the past five years, we have come to see this as a remnant of British colonialism, and it is not serving us well.

“The spiritual leadership of a global communion of independent and autonomous provinces should not be reduced to one man appointed by a secular government.”

His comments came as Dr Williams survived the most difficult day of the Lambeth Conference with the communion intact. In closed discussions about homosexuality, bishops agreed to differ peacefully for the sake of unity. Early indications are that his strategy of running a conference without votes or resolutions and based around the African-style indaba process of conflict resolution groups has paid off, at least for the time being.

The absence of the leaders of so many of the African churches has meant that the Episcopal Church of the US has dominated debate, but Dr Williams made clear that there can be no turning back the clock on the resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference that the biblical line must be abided by and that gay sex was wrong.

However, attempts by some conservative bishops to consolidate their position by forcing a resolution or vote to reinforce the biblical teaching on sexuality - in defiance of Dr Williams’ strategy to avoid divisive votes - were not successful.

A further test will come today when bishops debate the proposed covenant, a document that sets out core doctrine to which all 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion will be expected to sign up.

Proposals to avoid a future schism include holding conferences every three years instead of one Lambeth Conference per decade, and a pastoral forum to intervene in disputes within the communion. Regional meetings of Anglican dioceses and provinces are also planned to keep debate going and to avoid splits.

An “exchange programme” for clergy and bishops is also proposed to help to increase understanding of other Churches and cultures.

According to an early draft of the final “reflections” document on the conference - which will contain the main conclusions of the debates in indaba groups and be published on Sunday - bishops have discovered a “real depth of fellowship” and some have been “moved to tears” by what they have heard in Bible study groups.

Bishops have been concerned that young people show “little or no denominational loyalty” and the outside world finds an apparent Anglican obsession with gay sex bewildering.

“Our internal Anglican Communion life and the conflicts within it are having a negative effect on ecumenical conversations,” the draft reflections document says. “We must acknowledge that there are great tensions in our relationship at present, and an erosion of trust between us.”

The document also acknowledges the “lack of confidence” in the Anglican “instruments of communion”, four bodies which include the office of Archbishop of Canterbury.

One Global South leader, Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Indian Ocean, said that in the debate on sexuality, bishops “expressed our convictions clearly but with generosity and respect to the other”. He said that in his indaba group, he had spoken from the conservative viewpoint and then a bishop from the US Episcopal Church put the liberal pro-gay position. “Then we held hands and said we have got to journey together.” Archbishop Ernest, who within his province is Bishop of Mauritius, said the whole area of sexuality and not just gay sex needed addressing. “In my own Church we have got intense sexual activity among adolescents.”

Bishop Jon Bruno, of Los Angeles, a leading liberal who blessed same-sex unions for many years but has now ceased doing so, said: “We all have the duty to have a personal conscience. I can believe something is right but I can also believe that, for the sake of the communion, I can abstain.”

Bishop Bruno, a convert from Roman Catholicism, said he was uncomfortable with the concept of a covenant because the Anglican Communion was by tradition a Church based on creed and Scripture, not covenant. An influential voice in the US, he told The Times: “I have the desire to listen. I pray we can all be together. I do believe schism can be avoided.”

Resolutions that conservatives say have been broken

- The Lambeth Conference of 1998 resolved to follow the biblical teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, in a faithful, lifelong commitment. It held that the Church believes sex before marriage to be wrong

- The document recognised that some people have a homosexual orientation and many are in the Church. It said gay Anglicans should seek care and moral direction from the Church and God’s transforming power to live their lives and for the “ordering of their relationships”

- The Church committed itself to listen to homosexuals and assure them that they are loved by God. Anyone who was baptised and believing was a full member of the Church regardless of their sexual orientation, it said.

- But it rejected homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture and would not sanction blessing of same-sex unions or ordaining people who have had same-sex unions

- The resolution was based on Bible verses that speak against homosexuality including: Romans i, 5: “Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error”

- The Church called on all their people to minister sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation. It condemned irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex

- The resolution said all archbishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury should monitor the work of the Church on sexuality. Actions of the Episcopal Church in America in ordaining the gay bishop Gene Robinson have been seen in contravention of this resolution by conservatives in the Church

Source: Lambeth Conference official website