Canterbury, U.K.

Anglicans divided: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams tried to fend off a conservative rebellion within the Anglican Church this week, as bishops gathered for their once-a-decade conclave. The church has been fractured since 2003, when the liberal, U.S. wing, the Episcopal Church, ordained an openly gay bishop. About a quarter of Anglican bishops, mostly conservatives from Africa, boycotted this week’s conference in protest. Williams, who in 1989 wrote an essay praising homosexual love, said this week he was “committed” to the church’s stance against homosexuality and that sex outside marriage was also wrong. At the same time, he backed a decision by the church’s governing body to allow the ordination of female bishops.

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