The Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan has attacked a draft proposal aimed at reuniting the Anglican church, arguing that it could lead to exclusion.Speaking at a governing body meeting of the Church in Wales in Lampeter, Dr Morgan said he could not endorse the proposal, also known as a covenant.
In its present form, the draft would ban the ordination of gay priests.
The covenant was drawn up by Anglican leaders in the wake of the appointment of a gay American bishop in 2003.
The ordination of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire marked the start of divisions in the Anglican church.
Some Anglicans argue that homosexuality is contrary to scripture while others have accepted it because the understanding of human sexuality has changed.
Critics also fear that endorsing the covenant will limit the diversity of the church.
The covenant aims to commit the Anglican Communion's separate churches across 38 provinces worldwide to procedures for solving disputes and bring them back into agreement.
In his speech to around 175 members of the Church in Wales, Dr Morgan said that while he supported the principle of an Anglican covenant, he feared the draft would lead to one voice on controversial issues, such as homosexuality, which members would have to sign up to or leave.
The indications now are that many see it as a contract... enforceable by the threat of exclusion from the Communion if one does not conform
While the Church of England has said it is willing to "engage positively" with the recommendations, Dr Morgan believes a similar response from the Church in Wales would be seen as an acceptance of the concept of the covenant and the draft version.
He urged the governing body of the Church in Wales to note the process taking place to produce a covenant and invite Welsh bishops to finalise a response.
Dr Morgan said that the Communion had become "bitter" over the covenant.
"The original intention of a covenant to affirm the bonds of affection, was good," said Dr Morgan, who will fly to New Orleans with Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday for a meeting with the Anglican church.
"The indications now are that many see it as a contract, a means of ensuring a uniform view on human sexuality enforceable by the threat of exclusion from the Communion if one does not conform.
"I certainly do not want to sign up to that kind of covenant."
Censure
Dr Morgan also criticised the draft covenant for seeming to put sexual morality interpreted in a particular way at the heart of what might cause exclusion from the Communion.
The draft covenant would also interfere with the autonomy of the Church in Wales because if the primates [the archbishops leading the 38 independent Anglican churches] think a doctrine passed by the body had breached the covenant, the Church in Wales would face censure, he argued.
Dr Morgan also warned that the covenant might put a strangle hold on theological change and innovation in the Anglican church, such as was seen with the eventual ordination of women.
The draft covenant has been circulated to all Anglican provinces for them to comment on by the end of 2007.
The final version of the covenant will be sent out in 2008 for formal debate and response.
A spokesperson for the Anglican Communion was unavailable to comment on Dr Morgan's speech.
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