Vote on women bishops could split the Church

Plans to appoint women bishops could split the Church of England in two, opponents warned today.

Church leaders were set to approve a process which could see the first woman bishop appointed in 2010.

Equality campaigners said the public would no longer accept a Church which banned the promotion of women to senior positions.

But traditionalists claimed the move went against God's teaching and would damage relations with the Roman Catholic Church.

The row broke out at a meeting of the Church of England's governing body the General Synod, which is already split over gay priests and the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

The Rev David Houlding, leader of the Anglo-Catholic group on the Synod, said: "There's a real danger that the Church will break apart over this.

"It's not simply an issue to do with justice, it's to do with the way God has revealed himself.

"The bishop has always reflected the fatherhood of God. God's name in the Bible is Father."

The Rev David Phillips, director of the evangelical Church Society, warned that hundreds of churches would refuse to accept the authority of a woman bishop.

He said: "The clear teaching of the Bible is that in congregations, leadership should be exercised by men."

Another opponent, the Ven Howell Saffer, said: "Jesus didn't choose any women disciples. He could have.

"If we are going to do this, we can't rush it. And we must think about how we provide for those who don't agree."

But Christina Rees, of pressure group Women In The Church, said: "The vast majority of Church members want women bishops. Excluding half the human race is increasingly embarrassing." She pointed out that those who disagreed were free to leave, adding: "Why are you in a Church if you do not accept the authority of its governing body?"

The Synod was expected to endorse today a report by the Bishop of Rochester which sets out a series of options, delaying any decision until July at the earliest.

One compromise proposal would see an all-male branch of the church set up for opponents of women bishops to join.

But Ms Rees warned against "creating some sort of dubious space for people who cannot accept women's ministry".

Any final decision to let women become bishops would need to be approved by a twothirds majority in each section of the Synod - bishops, clergy and lay members. It would then have to be ratified by Parliament. Ten years after the Church allowed women to become priests, about 20 per cent of the clergy is female.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has never publicly voiced his views on whether women should become bishops but he is believed to be in favour.

Some traditionalists quit the Church over the decision to admit women priests. Three " f lying bishops" were appointed to oversee 500 parishes which continue to reject women priests.

Tomorrow a row over gay clergy will reignite when the Synod debates a report which calls on Anglican leaders in the US to apologise for the hurt they caused by appointing the first homosexual bishop.

On Monday, Church leaders banned the Synod from debating the marriage of Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles despite a warning that it would have "grave consequences".