The rift within the worldwide Anglican church over homosexuality is focusing attention on this month\u2019s meeting, from Sept. 20-25, of the Episcopal Church\u2019s bishops, since the national archbishops, or primates, of the worldwide Anglican Communion gave the bishops until Sept. 30 to agree to their demands concerning sexuality.<\/p>\n
The controversy is also causing turmoil in the planning for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the once-per-decade gathering of all the world\u2019s Anglican bishops.<\/p>\n
The primates want the U.S. church to agree not to authorize a blessing rite for same-sex couples and not elect another bishop in a same-sex relationship \u201cunless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the communion.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The bishops will be meeting in New Orleans and will be joined for two days by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The sessions are not open to the public, but news conferences are scheduled.<\/p>\n