London, England - The Anglican Church appears to the outside world and to many of its own members, to be "obsessed with sex", the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, admitted to the General Synod yesterday.
But the Archbishop argued that its bitter and prolonged dispute over homosexuality touched deeper issues, such as the way the worldwide Communion dealt with profound differences, which could not be easily avoided.
It was "folly" to think a split in the Church over gays would leave a "neat and morally satisfying break" between liberals and conservatives.
Dr Williams was giving his presidential address to the Synod a week after the primates' meeting in Tanzania issued an ultimatum to American liberals to reverse their pro-gay agenda.
The primates gave the American Episcopal Church seven months to impose unequivocal moratoria on same-sex blessings and the future consecration of gay bishops.
If the Episcopal bishops failed to provide such reassurances, the American Church would have to face the "consequences".
The Synod, the Church of England's "parliament" which is meeting over four days in London, will tomorrow debate two private members' motions on homosexuality.
Dr Williams said few in the Church would have chosen to become embroiled in a damaging conflict, but there was little option now but to try to remain united.
"The public perception, as we've been reminded by commentators, is that we are a Church obsessed with sex. The responses I received to my letter to primates suggests that this is what many within the Church feel as well — and I'd be surprised if many in this chamber did not echo that.
"It feels as though we are caught in a battle very few really want to be fighting — like soldiers in the trenches somewhere around 1916, trying to remember just what were the decisions that got everyone to a point where hardly anyone was owning the conflict, just enduring it."
Many would like him to abandon efforts to keep the worldwide Church together and focus on the Church of England, he said. But this would create more problems.
"It is folly to think a decision to 'go our separate ways' would leave us with a neat and morally satisfying break between two groups of provinces, orthodox and heretics or humane liberals and bigots.
"Much has been made of the relative nobility of a 'here I stand' position as compared with the painful brokering and compromising needed for unity's sake. It's impossible not to feel the force of this.
"Yet — to speak personally for a moment — the persistence of the Communion as an organically international and inter-cultural unity whose aim is to glorify Jesus Christ and to work for his kingdom, is for me and others just as much a matter of deep personal and theological conviction as any other principle."
There was warm applause as he concluded: "About this, I am prepared to say 'here I stand and I cannot do otherwise'. And I believe the primates have said the same."