Church of England speaks out in gay clergy debate

The Church of England has indicated its opposition to Anglican provinces that choose to intervene in other churches without authorisation, saying such actions should only be taken as part of "properly authorised schemes of pastoral oversight".

The Church's position has been affirmed in a response to the draft Anglican Covenant submitted on Wednesday by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who are Presidents of the General Synod.

The draft Anglican Covenant, published last year for discussion around the Anglican Communion, is part of an effort to set up clear practices in the Communion to resolve disputes, and follows a very public Anglican row over homosexual priests.

The response follows the controversial consecration in 2007 of US cleric Martyn Minns as a bishop in the Anglican Church of Nigeria by its leader, Archbishop Peter Akinola, to minister to congregations disillusioned by the US Episcopal Church's liberal direction.

The Archbishops' response will be considered officially later this month when the working group for the covenant is scheduled to meet.

The Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church, Katherine Jefferts Schori, who has become one of the most controversial figures in the worldwide Anglican Communion, recently accused other churches - including the Church of England - of double standards over sexuality.

She justified her Church's liberal stance on gay clergy, saying that the US Episcopal Church is being punished for its honesty over its position.

Speaking to the BBC about Bishop Gene Robinson - the first openly gay bishop to be consecrated in the Anglican Communion in 2003 - Jefferts Schori said: "He is certainly not alone in being a gay bishop, he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop.

"He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status."

She defends her Church's open liberalism by pointing to other Anglican churches that also have gay bishops in committed partnerships and argues they should be open about it.

The Episcopal head told the BBC, "There's certainly a double standard."