LONDON, May 23 (UPI) -- The archbishop of Canterbury angered both liberal and conservative factions of the global Anglican Church by snubbing one gay and a conservative bishop.
Archbishop Rowan Williams sent more than 800 invitations Tuesday for the church's once-a-decade Lambeth Conference in London that runs for three weeks in London this summer.
However, he did not invite the Episcopalian bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, who lives with his gay partner, nor did he invite Virginia Bishop Martyn Minns, who heads a conservative group of U.S. churches affiliated with the archbishop of Nigeria, a New York Times correspondent reported.
In his invitation letter, Williams reasserted his leadership role, the newspaper said.
"I have to reserve the right to withhold or withdraw invitations from bishops whose appointment, actions or manner of life have caused exceptionally serious division or scandal within the communion," he wrote.
At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the bishops passed a resolution "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture" and spoke against blessing same-sex unions.
