Overseeing the get-together is Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader. As the “first among equals,” he has no authority to force a compromise. Still, he bears the heavy burden of trying to keep the centuries-old communion together.
“In my view, the split has already taken place,” said David Steinmetz, an expert in Christian history at Duke Divinity School in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The interesting question ”” still unanswered ”” is how wide and deep will it grow?”
The Anglican Communion is a fellowship of churches that trace their roots to the missionary work of the Church of England. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.
It is the third-largest group of churches in the world, behind Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and is struggling with the same issues facing many denominations: How should Christians interpret what the Bible says about homosexuality, salvation and other issues?