Anglicans mull ban on gay bishops

CANTERBURY, England, July 29 (UPI) -- A plan before the Lambeth Conference in England would ban consecration of gay bishops and blessings of same-sex relationships in the Anglican Communion.

The proposal for a forum to be headed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams would also bar Anglican bishops from intervening outside their own provinces, The Times of London reported. In recent years, bishops in Africa have taken U.S. churches under their wings and consecrated bishops in the United States.

The bishops who drew up the plan said that if national churches and bishops continue to ignore calls for moratoriums in the three areas "the Communion is likely to fracture."

The Anglican Communion is a loose confederation of churches descended from the Church of England.

The authors said that the bans should be retroactive. That strongly suggests they believe that Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire whose consecration initiated the crisis, should resign, although they stop short of calling for him to step down.