Archbishop defends gay cleric attending "controversial" event

THE Archbishop of Wales is to chair a controversial conference featuring the world’s first openly gay bishop, at a time when the issue of homosexual clergy threatens to divide the Anglican Church. As news of the conference emerged last night, traditionalists in the Anglican Church said the move would be closely monitored by church officials in the Southern Hemisphere. The election of Bishop Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, in the US, has sparked a crisis which has pitted traditionalists against liberals. The event will be held a week before bishops from around the world gather for the Lambeth conference, held once a decade. more