US bishops decide on gay priest

Robinson: "We are aware this is a troubling decision... for some"

The man hoping to become the first openly gay Anglican bishop in America faces a final vote by bishops on Monday.

The Episcopalian House of Bishops will meet to confirm the appointment of Canon Gene Robinson after it was endorsed by a majority of laity and other clergy on Sunday.

Whilst the outcome of the vote is unclear, correspondents say it is rare for the House of Bishops to eject a diocese's choice of leader.

The issue has brought heavy fire from conservatives among Episcopalians, as US Anglicans are known, as well as in the wider Church.

"This will be a symbol of disunity and a source of deep pain for Anglicans worldwide," said the Reverend Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South Carolina.

Canon Robinson, who has been attending the Church's general convention in Minneapolis along with both his gay partner and a daughter from a failed marriage, said he was optimistic of his confirmation.

"It's not a done deal, but it's getting very close and I think today's vote is going to go very well," he told US TV.

Wider message

If the House of Bishops - the Episcopalians' legislative body - confirms his appointment, Canon Robinson will be able to take his seat among them.

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The would-be bishop of New Hampshire has already received a string of endorsements:

• The Episcopalian House of Representatives, which is comprised of both lay Church members and clergy, approved his appointment by 128 delegations to 63, with the votes of 25 divided delegations discounted

• The Committee for the Consecration of Bishops of the American Anglican Church gave its backing on Friday

• Episcopalians in the state of New Hampshire chose him as their bishop over three other candidates in June

The bishop-elect said he wanted to be a "good" rather than a "gay" bishop.

"The people of New Hampshire just want me to be their bishop and I can't wait to exercise that ministry," he said.

He also had words for UK Anglicans after a gay, but celibate, candidate for bishop there resigned amid objections to his appointment.

"In my opinion it will be only a few years before the Church of England is very ashamed about what happened to Canon Jeffrey John," Mr Robinson told the BBC.

Responding to his critics, Canon Robinson said he hoped that Anglicans around the world would "be able to pull together" as a communion.

'Shattered family'

Dr Harmon, a theologian, described the appointment as an "utterly unacceptable departure from doctrine".

The American Anglican Council, a group of Episcopal conservatives, said Sunday's decision by the House of Representatives to endorse the bishop-elect had brought the Episcopal Church "to the brink of shattering the Anglican family".

It urged the House of Bishops to "uphold the historic Christian faith" and vote no on Monday.

Mr Robinson - a divorced father of two - has been in a committed male relationship for 14 years.

There is a movement in the Church pushing for the creation of a formal right to bless same-sex unions - something that already happens in many American diocese.

However, US President George W Bush said recently that marriage should be between a man and woman and that the administration was considering a proposal to amend the constitution to preclude gay marriage.