THE Anglican Church teetered on the brink of schism yesterday as provinces around the world cut ties with the Church in the United States over the consecration of Gene Robinson as the Communion’s first openly gay bishop.

Anglicanism began a rapid descent into global chaos as dioceses and churches issued threats and counter-threats of heresy and schism, breaking off communion with Bishop Robinson and the New Hampshire Diocese as they did so.

But few could say what was actually meant by “broken” or “impaired” communion.

The Episcopal Church of the United States pleaded for tempers to cool but there was little sign that Churches from Africa to Asia were prepared to listen.

In America itself it became clear that the “realignment” of the Anglican Church had already begun. Although this will stop short of formal schism for the time being, it will create a Church within a Church or a “parallel jurisdiction” for conservative and orthodox Anglicans alongside the liberal mainstream.

This will be brought about by the creation of “flying bishops” for objecting congregations and dioceses, similar to the system set up in England for opponents of women priests. These bishops would cross diocesan boundaries to look after opponents of practising homosexuals in the clergy.

The liberal and conservative wings will remain in communion with Canterbury, but not with each other.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is now under pressure to put in place formal arrangements for this system.

In a joint statement, the primates of the Global South, which takes in most of the Church in Africa, Asia and the West Indies, said that they were appalled by the consecration, would not recognise Bishop Robinson’s ministry and called for Dr Williams put in place “adequate provision of pastoral oversight”.

The Global South primates, headed by the Nigerian primate, Dr Peter Akinola, said that a state of “impaired communion” now exists both within the American Church and between America and most provinces of the Communion.

The primates, who account for 50 million of the 77 million members of the Anglican Communion, said: “We are appalled that the authorities within the Episcopal Church of the US have ignored the heartfelt plea of the Communion not to proceed with the consecration of Gene Robinson.”

They continued: “The consecration of a bishop, who divorced his wife and separated from his children (and is) now living as a non-celibate homosexual, clearly demonstrates that authorities within the Episcopal Church of the US consider that their cultural-based agenda is of far greater importance than obedience to the word of God.”

In a separate statement, the Anglican Church in Kenya said that it will sever ties with the Church in America.

Bishop Thomas Kogo, of the Eldoret Diocese, speaking on behalf of the Anglican establishment in Kenya, where homosexual acts are criminal, said: “As a Church, we are not going to support homosexuality in the Church, primarily because it is a sin.

“And on that note, we have broken our links with the US Episcopal Church.”

He said that Dr Williams had been informed and that the breach would be formalised at a meeting of Kenyan bishops in two weeks.

The Anglican Church in Uganda, where homosexual acts are also still criminal, called the consecration “unscriptural” and said that it will break fellowship with the New Hampshire Diocese. But the Ugandan church will remain in communion with the US Church as a whole.

The Rev Jackson Turyagenda, a spokesman for the Ugandan Church, said: “We have already made a resolution that the Church of Uganda will break fellowship with any diocese that takes steps to consecrate a gay clergy (member) or blesses marriages of gays or lesbians. We are not the ones breaking ties with the Diocese of New Hampshire. It is the one that has opted out.”

Mr Turyagenda said that the Ugandan Church will not break ties with the whole of the US Church because some dioceses opposed the consecration of Bishop Robinson.

In Egypt, Bishop Mounee Hanna Anis, head of the Cairo-based Anglican Church, condemned the consecration. He said: “Those who participated in the consecration are considered among the violators of the teachings of the Holy Book and therefore they have become dissociated with Jesus’s Church. Homosexuality is a clear sin, but unfortunately it has become among the acceptable issues in some Western societies.”

Shortly after the consecration on Sunday, Dr Williams, who has set up a commission to try to resolve the crisis, said the divisions now arising were a matter of “deep regret”.

However the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Rev Njongonkulu Ndungane, said: “Gene Robinson has been constitutionally and canonically elected and is a consecrated bishop. That is according to the laws and regulations governing the Church in the United States.” He said that the issue of gay clergy “was not going to go away”.

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