Anglicans elect gay bishop

Mr Robinson's election has been opposed by conservatives

US Anglican leaders have confirmed the election of their first openly gay bishop in a controversial vote that threatens to divide the Church worldwide.

Gene Robinson was confirmed in the post of Bishop of New Hampshire by 62 votes to 45, hours after he was cleared of sexual misconduct allegations.

Conservatives in the US and overseas bishops who represent millions of Anglicans have said confirming Mr Robinson may force them to consider breaking away from the church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, foresees "difficult days" ahead, his spokesman said after the historic but divisive vote.

Mr Robinson said he would do everything he could to help to heal any rift but did not think his appointment would make a big difference to ordinary Christians around the world.

"I have to believe that the God who led me this far will be with me into the future and be with the whole Church," he told the BBC.

An investigation into last-minute allegations against Mr Robinson - led by Bishop Gordon Scruton of Massachusetts - found "no evidence requiring further investigation".

He had been accused of touching another man inappropriately, and of being associated with a group whose website was alleged to link to pornographic sites.

Mixed reaction Have your say: Bishop row

His ratification by the Episcopalian House of Bishops in Minneapolis had been postponed for one day to allow for the inquiry.

The allegations surfaced very suddenly and his supporters accused conservatives of a smear campaign against him.

Bishops heard that the allegations of inappropriate touching amounted to nothing more than that in a public place Bishop Robinson had touched another man on the arm and the back. He was found to have no connection with the disputed website.

Bishop Steven Charleston told the BBC that it seemed "amazing" that such allegations had thrown the conference into turmoil, but added that the Church had a duty to investigate properly.

Vulnerability

The Episcopal Church, with 2.3 million members, is the US branch of the 80 million-member global Anglican Communion.

After the result was announced, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, who had campaigned against Mr Robinson, said he and other bishops were "filled with sorrow".

He said the Episcopal Church had "divided itself from millions of Anglicans throughout the world".

ANGLICANS IN AMERICA There are two million Episcopalians The Anglican Church has 80m members worldwide America has 236m Christians

Mr Robinson was endorsed by the Diocese of New Hampshire in June and won the support of the national Church's rank-and-file on Sunday at the Minneapolis convention.

The appointment of an openly homosexual cleric, who is also a divorced father of two, has been fiercely opposed on grounds of Christian doctrine.

One Anglican theologian, the Reverend Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South Carolina, described the appointment as an "utterly unacceptable departure from doctrine".

The American Anglican Council, a splinter group of Episcopal conservatives, earlier urged the House of Bishops to "uphold the historic Christian faith" and vote no.