The dispute over gays has brought the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion to the brink of schism. Conservative Anglicans want action against or repentance from the Anglican Church in the United States for ordaining the openly gay Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, and against Canada after the New Westminster Diocese authorised blessings of same-sex relationships.

The recommendations of the panel will, we are sure, be a great help to the Archbishop of Canterbury in giving leadership to the Communion in repairing the tear in its fabric which led the Primates to call for these extraordinary measures.

Bill Atwood, general secretary of Ekklesia Society, an international Anglican network, just returned from a tour of Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda and called the lack of money for Africans "scandalous."

"I just met with some archbishops a week ago," he said, "They were saying how painful it was, with people starving to death to make these choices."

Mrs. Rubie Nottage, Chancellor of the West Indies and member of the Lambeth Commission on Communion

The Rt. Rev. Claude Payne, retired Bishop of Texas

The Rt. Rev. John Sentamu, Bishop of Birmingham

The Most Rev. Maurice Sinclair, retired Primate of the Southern Cone

The Rev. Stephen Trott, member of General Synod and Church Commissioner of
the CoE

Ms. Fung Yi Wong, ACC delegate of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

END