Daily Telegraph: Anglican Church 'in chaos' say rebel leaders

The Anglican church is in "chaos" with the "moral authority" of the Archbishop of Canterbury lying in tatters amid growing splits over homosexuality and women bishops, rebel leaders claim.

In a direct challenge to the leadership of Dr Rowan Williams, three leading Archbishops said they had decided to "take things in hand".

Leaders of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca), a newly formed network for millions of Anglicans angered by the rise of liberal theology, denied that they planned to "seize power" within the church.

But Most Rev Henry Orombi, the Archbishop of Uganda, Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia, and Archbishop Greg Venables, Primate of South America's Southern Cone, said they planned to "reassert the authority of the Bible".

Dr Williams is facing a crisis on two fronts with traditionalists flexing their muscles over the issue of gay clergy within the 77 million-strong Anglican communion at the same time as threats of splits at home over the ordination of women bishops.

The three bishops made their comments after addressing hundreds of Church of England clergy in London about the formation of the new group at the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) in Jerusalem at the weekend.

In a sign of the strong emotions aroused, gay rights activist Peter Tatchell attempted to storm the meeting before being repelled by security. Read more
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