Primates challenge Williams over stance on homosexuals
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 17/11/2005)

Conservative Anglican leaders last night launched a stinging attack on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, accusing him of a failure of leadership over homosexuality.

In their most direct challenge yet to his authority, 17 primates, representing nearly half of the 38 provinces that constitute the worldwide Church, indicated that they were losing confidence in him.

Their letter criticised Dr Williams following his visit to their Global South conference in Egypt earlier this month, and it will make schism in the 70 million-strong Church increasingly inevitable.

It will also been seen as containing an implicit threat to Dr Williams's historic position as the "first among equals" among his fellow primates if he fails to strengthen his opposition to the liberal wing of the Church.

The conservative primates said they were "troubled" by his reluctance to use his moral authority to challenge the liberal north American Churches, who triggered the crisis by consecrating Anglican's first openly gay bishop and endorsing gay blessings.
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