Churches' secret talks to stop gay surge

The Church of England has refused to deny that its most senior bishops held secret discussions with their Vatican counterparts this weekend in an historic union to topple the controversial Anglican push to admit gay unions and the ordination of women bishops.

In an unprecedented turn of events, a handful of Pope Benedict XVI's most trusted advisers are believed to have met senior Anglican Bishops in York over the weekend to build closer inter-church ties - and to stymie the liberalisation of significant traditions.

The meetings, reported by Anglican websites and London's Telegraph, suggest that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was not informed of the talks.

This is seen as a major blow to his authority and his concerted drive to try to prevent the imminent historical schism in the Church of England between conservative Bishops and their liberal arch enemies.

The secret talks, held just days before Pope Benedict leaves Rome for Australia for World Youth Day, highlights the dramatic choices faced by both churches in an increasingly secular and liberal western environment.

The discussions, described as highly confidential, involved a group of the most conservative Anglican bishops who vented their fury at the increasingly liberal direction that the Church of England is taking. Their anxieties were aired with members of the conservative Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once the province of Pope Ratzinger - and historically the successor to the medieval Inquisitions which were charged with enforcing church teachings and doctrine.

The Telegraph's religious roundsman wrote that the names of the bishops involved in the secret talks were known to the newspaper - but that all had asked for anonymity because of the sensitive and potentially explosive nature of their subject.

The revelations also come just a day before the vote of the General Synod - the Church's governing arm - which will make a decision on whether women should be allowed to become bishops.

Bitter opponents have been demanding concessions and more than 500 members of the clergy have already warned Dr Williams that they will consider abandoning the Church unless havens within the Church free of women bishops are created for them.

Three diocesan bishops have written to the archbishop in support of the threat while another two said they are prepared to jettison the Church altogether. The letter from the Bishops of Chichester, Blackburn and Europe reportedly argue that traditionalist clergy will be incapable of maintaining an "honoured place" in the Church without such legislation.

Churches' secret talks to stop gay surge
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia