London, Enland - Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, faced the gravest threat to his authority as leader of the worldwide Anglican communion last night, as nearly half the church's presiding archbishops launched an unprecedented attack on his leadership over the issue of gay clergy.
In terms which call into question the archbishop's continuing leadership of the 77 million-strong church - the third largest Christian denomination - 17 of Anglicanism's 38 primates issued a highly personal letter criticising his personal ability and demanding that he should take action against "unrepented sexual immorality" in the church.
Pointing to the archbishop's personally more tolerant stand towards gay people, they claimed: "We wonder whether your personal dissent from this consensus prevents you from taking the necessary steps to confront those churches that have embraced teaching contrary to the overwhelming testimony of the Anglican communion. We urge you to rethink your personal view and embrace the church's consensus. And to act on it as it is on the clear witness of scripture."
The letter was published only hours after Dr Williams had pleaded with members of the Church of England on both sides of the debate to seek reconciliation in prayer, urging them to contact others in the church across the world. "We have to beware of poisoning the wells by doing our business with suspicion and hostility or lack of mutual respect," he said. "Take personal responsibility for maintaining communion as best you can in forming some new relationships in the Church of England and more widely. Pray with people you might not otherwise pray with. Show that you are ready to learn from each other and from God."
As he spoke to the Church of England general synod in London, the archbishops' letter was lying unread in his daily correspondence.
The row, which seems to bring schism still closer within the Anglican church - the primates' letter talked of cutting away dead branches that had failed to bear fruit - arises from fundamental disagreements over actions in the US Episcopal church in electing the openly gay diocesan bishop Gene Robinson in 2003 and a decision by a Canadian diocese to bless same-sex partnerships the same year.
But primates from the developing world were equally incensed by the decision of C of E bishops in the summer to allow clergy to register same-sex relationships under the government's civil partnerships legislation, which comes into force next month. Such clergy are expected to give assurances to their bishops that their partnerships are chaste, but many concede that is unlikely to happen.
A Lambeth Palace spokesman said last night: "The archbishop has made it clear since before his enthronement that neither he nor anyone else has any mandate to change the church's teaching. If this letter is a contribution to the debate, then it is welcome, however robust. But if it is an attempt to foreclose the debate, it would seem to serve very little purpose indeed."