Nairobi — The Anglican Church world-wide yesterday faced a major split over the appointment of a homosexual bishop by its affiliate US Episcopal Church.

The Kenyan Anglican Church and several other churches in developing nations have condemned the move as a betrayal of Christian teachings.

In a statement, 85 Anglican Communion Representatives world-wide, strongly condemned the decision made by the US Anglican bishops to elect the world's first ever homosexual bishop

"We deeply regret the decision made by the Ecusa General Convention to confirm the appointment of a bishop who is a practising homosexual," they said in the statement.

The bishops who signed the statement included Kenya's Anglican Primate Benjamin Nzimbi, the Most Reverend Yong Bing Chung based in South East Asia, the Bishop of Maid Stone (England), Bishop Graham Cray, Bishop of South Sydney Robert Forsyth.

Also among them was former Bishop of Peru Bishop David Evans.

Only the United States Episcopal leaders have so far cast votes in favour of the New Hampshire bishop-elect.

The matter now moves to the church's House of Bishops for final approval and is widely expected to pass.

Those opposing the move said the decision contradicts the mind of the Anglican Communion made by the Lambeth Conference in 1998.

They further said the act was contrary to Resolution 1.10 of the church which states that marriage, according to Biblical teachings, is only allowed between man and woman.

" If the consecration of bishop-elect, Rev Gene Robinson proceeds, the convention will be taking casually the spiritual teaching agreed by the Anglican communion," they added in the statement.

They said the decision will cause great distress not only in North America, but across the Anglican Church.

The bishops revealed that a meeting of the Communion will be held soon to discuss the way forward.

"Dioceses and Partnerships in the USA who wish to remain loyal to the union will also be considering their position in the coming week," the statement said.

Other churches that have condemned the move are the Catholic Church, Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church and the All Africa Conference of Churches Council.

The Executive Secretary of the SDA Church, East Africa, Mr Peter Bwana, condemned the move.

Speaking on behalf of All Africa Council of Churches, the Information Officer, Mr Mitch Odero, said the trend would eventually lead to a split in the church.

Elsewhere, evangelicals in the US and Europe roared in outrage and threatened to split after new development.

But liberals welcomed the move and called for calm, leaving the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams with one of the biggest crises of his eight-month tenure as the head of the world's estimated 70 million Anglicans.

"Difficult days lie ahead for the Anglican Church.

In Kenya, the church was up in arms following the lead already given by Nigeria recently over the thwarted move to appoint celibate gay priest Jeffrey John as bishop of Reading in England. After an outcry, John declined the post.

"We are totally opposed to the ordination of gay persons to ministry and we are totally opposed to that move in the United States," the Very Reverend Peter Karanja, the Provost of Nairobi's All Saints Cathedral, told Reuters.

However, observers noted a certain lack of consistency in the Nigerian position.

Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola, threatened to withdraw his flock of 17 million from the Anglican Communion if John was made a bishop.

But there was no such threat in 1993 when then Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu appointed a gay bishop.

Yesterday, Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen described the Robinson vote as "catastrophic", while David Phillips of the Church Society in England called on the Anglican movement world-wide to shun the US Episcopal Church.

"We consider the Episcopal Church of the United States has put itself outside the fellowship of faithful Christians. They have created a schism. They have shown they are pursuing a religion that is not Christianity," he told Reuters.

"We should no longer have any meaningful fellowship with these people," he added, urging Williams to condemn the vote.

But Richard Kirker of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in London welcomed the vote, praising the courage of the Episcopal Church which he said "had led the way on issues such as the ordination of women and on condemning racial segregation".

"It is a ground-breaking church. But we don't expect everybody to follow suit immediately. Different parts of the Anglican Communion tend to travel at different speeds," he said.

"The decision gives Rowan Williams an opportunity to welcome the decision of an influential part of the Anglican Communion."

With the evangelicals urging a split and the liberals an open-arms approach, Williams, who even before his appointment had courted controversy with his support for gay clergy, single sex marriages and the ordination of women, faced a dilemma.

"I really don't know what he can do. He is not the Pope. He has no powers. The best thing he can do is roll with it and try to keep a lid on tempers. If he fails it could have very serious consequences," said religion commentator Clifford Longley.

The Church Society's Phillips said the softly-spoken, grey-bearded Williams had brought the crisis on himself because of his openly expressed liberal views.

"We always said he should never have taken the job, because of the views he has expressed on same sex marriages and gay clergy. This hasn't changed our view," he said.