MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The Anglican priest who hopes to be his church's first openly gay bishop drew one step closer to his goal Sunday with a key vote in Minneapolis.
A committee of clergy and lay people voted to forward the choice to a Monday vote by the 100-member House of Bishops, CNN reported.
The Rev. Canon Gene Robinson, the bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire, had been approved by New Hampshire Episcopalians in June and the Episcopal Committee on Consent of Bishops approved his candidacy Saturday.
Opponents said that Robinson's ultimate selection might create a split among the church's 2.3 million members in the United States.
Robinson, a father of two, divorced his wife and has lived with his partner Mark Andrew for 13 years while serving as assistant to the bishop of New Hampshire.
Robinson's daughter told the General Convention that she and her mother support Robinson's election.
