The Archbishop of Canterbury has acknowledged that the Anglican Church is in schism in all but name.

In a response to the decision this month of the Episcopal Church of the US to go ahead with gay consecrations and same-sex blessings, Dr Rowan Williams argued for a “two-track” Communion in which the Church was divided between those with differing theological views of homosexuality — described by some in the blogosphere as “Anglicans” and “Anglican’ts”.

Dr Williams appealed for this to be seen not in “apocalyptic terms of schism and excommunication” but rather as “two styles of being Anglican”. His statement, posted on his website and addressed to “the bishops, clergy and faithful of the Anglican Communion”, will be seen by critics as an attempt to paper over the cracks.

At its convention in California the Episcopal Church in effect overturned moratoriums on same-sex blessings and gay consecrations that had been requested to preserve unity after the openly gay Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

Dr Williams attended the General Convention and begged the Episcopalians not to do anything that would separate the Communion further. In his statement yesterday he said he had been assured that the two resolutions did not overturn the moratoriums.

In one of his most conservative arguments for upholding the traditional view on homosexuality, Dr Williams said that discrimination against gay people was “sinful” — but that society’s change in attitude did not mean the Church should follow suit. The importance lay in maintaining a recognisably Anglican tradition, he said.

The Church’s Bible-based teaching against practising homosexuality could not be overturned without in-depth theological study. This “chosen lifestyle is not one that the Church’s teaching sanctions”, he said. Practising homosexuals “should not be ordained priests, and especially not bishops”.

The question was not a simple one of human rights, he argued. “It is that a certain choice of lifestyle has certain consequences. So long as the Church Catholic, or even the Communion as a whole, does not bless same-sex unions, a person living in such a union cannot without serious incongruity have a representative function in a Church whose public teaching is at odds with their lifestyle.”

Dr Williams acknowledged that the Communion was divided into what some “disparagingly” called first-class and second-class Anglicans.

Continuing his argument against allowing the Communion to disintegrate into a “federation”, Dr Williams said that a possible solution lay in the current process of drawing up a “covenant” of biblical orthodoxy that all provinces will be asked to sign. He said that the covenant would not mean that provinces would be “cast into outer darkness” but would allow a “twofold ecclesial reality”, adding: “Perhaps we are faced with two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage.”

How the rift widened

1998 Lambeth Conference advocates abstinence for those not called to marriage but says voices of homosexuals must be heard

2003 Gene Robinson, first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire

2004 The Lambeth Commission on Communion, established by primates after Robinson’s election, publishes the Windsor Report urging a moratorium on same-sex blessings and gay bishops

2006 Episcopal Church passes resolution B033, interpreted as pledging to abide by moratoriums

2008 Most conservative primates boycott Lambeth Confererence

2009 General Convention of Episcopal Church agrees to consecrate gay bishops and to allow gay blessings