Church of England crisis: Mass defections loom as rebel faction appeals to English clergy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/02/anglicanism.religion1

[Guardian] 2 Jul 2008--Hundreds of English clergy appear poised to defect from the Church of England to join a new conservative movement after a conference led by rebel archbishops was swamped with delegates in London yesterday.

The 750 delegates attending the meeting in central London were asked to pledge their allegiance to a 14-point manifesto issued last weekend in Jerusalem by the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), a coalition of traditionalist clergy who have challenged the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.

According to the conservative website, Anglican Mainstream, clergy and churchwardens are asked to "stand in solidarity" with Gafcon by registering their support online.

The popularity of the event caught organisers and speakers by surprise, as only half that number were expected. The attendance level, in addition to the 50 serving English clergy sponsoring the meeting, indicated the disillusion felt by conservative evangelicals.

Their interest in Gafcon threatens to further undermine the authority of Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, who also faces a rebellion at General Synod this weekend over the ordination of women bishops.