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The Archbishop of Canterbury has outlined proposals that are expected to lead to the exclusion of The Episcopal Church of the United States from the Anglican Church as a consequence of consecrating a gay bishop.

The US branch of Anglicanism faces losing its status of full membership of the Anglican Church in the wake of its consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, an act which has propelled the worldwide church to the brink of schism.

The final straw came when The Episcopal Church failed to "repent" of its action at its General Convention in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month, and failed to vote through a moratorium on any more gay consecrations.

Dr Williams is proposing a two-track Anglican Communion, with orthodox churches being accorded full, "constituent" membership and the rebel, pro-gay liberals being consigned to "associate" membership.

All provinces will be offered the chance to sign up to a "covenant" which will set out the traditional, biblical standards on which all full members of the Anglican church can agree.

But it is highly unlikely that churches such as The Episcopal Church in the US, the Anglican churches in Canada and New Zealand and even the Scottish Episcopal Church would be able to commit themselves fully to such a document.

These churches and any others that refused to sign up could opt to cut ties to Canterbury altogether, or could choose to remain in associate status.

In a letter to the 37 other Primates of the provinces of the Anglican Communion, Dr Rowan Williams says that such churches would be comparable to the Methodist Church in Britain.

Ironically, in 2003 the Methodist Church signed a covenant with the Church of England at a service at Westminster Central Hall witnessed by the Queen, Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

The fudged schism outlined in Dr Williams’ letter opens the door to the possibility of Methodists moving slowly towards full unity with the Anglicans, while Episcopalians fall by the wayside. Once Methodists start ordaining bishops and Anglicans in England start ordaining women bishops, there will be nothing to stop the two declaring full unity, unless the Methodists also start consecrating gay bishops.

The proposals will be discussed soon at the next meeting of the standing committee of the 38 Primates, and then at the Primates’ meeting in February. They will come to the table of the worldwide church, along with the wording of the proposed covenant, at the Lambeth Conference in 2008.

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