Divorced clergy are to be allowed to become Church of England bishops for the first time in a move which has been condemned by traditionalists. Critics described the change in Church rules as "utterly unacceptable" and warned it would undermine the biblical teaching that marriage is for life.
Conservative and liberal bishops have been deeply divided over the issue, which they have been secretly discussing for months.
While Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, supported relaxing the rules, John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, is understood to have fiercely argued against a change.
But The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the change was agreed at a meeting of the House of Bishops in May.
The Church is set to issue a statement announcing the new policy next month after legal advice made clear that there is no obstacle to a divorcee, or a priest married to a divorcee, being consecrated.
It means that a number of clergy who have been rejected in the past by the Crown Nominations Commission, the body responsible for appointing bishops, will now be put forward for consideration.
The first beneficiary of the change could be the Rev Nick Holtam, vicar of St Martin in the Fields in London, whose supporters want to propose as the next Bishop of Southwark.
Despite having gained a reputation as an accomplished preacher and a formidable fund-raiser, having masterminded his church's £36 million renovation appeal, conservatives had warned that his name would be blocked because his wife of 29 years had a brief marriage as a teenager.
Senior figures in the diocese of Southwark were angered by the prospect of not being able to appoint a man they saw as an outstanding candidate for the post. They have welcomed the change in the Church's position.
However, traditionalists have expressed their dismay at the change, which they argue weakens the importance of marriage. Some claim is more controversial than appointing homosexual bishops.
Fr Geoffrey Kirk, the national secretary of Forward in Faith, an Anglo-Catholic group representing around 400 parishes, said that scripture is clear in stating that divorce and remarriage are not permissible for Christians.
"The doctrine of matrimony is closely associated with ecclesiology and so it would seem utterly unacceptable that divorce and remarriage be part of the regimen of those who are called to represent and effect the unity of the Church."
He added: "Promoting divorced bishops is a far more serious matter than homosexual bishops because it is undermining one of the fundamental teachings of scripture."
The Rev David Phillips, chair of the Church Society, an evangelical group, said: "Though one recognises there are very difficult cases, in terms of the public ministry of the Church we should be modelling the standards Jesus set out, which is that marriage is for life.
"I don't think it's appropriate for bishops to be divorcees."
The Church only softened its stance on remarriage in 2002, when the General Synod, the Church Parliament, voted to allow divorcees to wed again in church in exceptional circumstances.
This is in contrast with the Catholic Church, which does not permit Catholics to receive Holy Communion if they are remarried.
Under current rules, trainee clergy who are divorced, or are married to a divorcee, are required to obtain permission – known as a faculty – before they can be ordained, but priests with such a personal history are currently blocked from becoming bishops.
Now the moratorium is to be dropped in favour of clergy being considered for promotion on a case-by-case basis, a Church spokesman said.
There is currently one bishop in the Church who is divorced, but his marriage broke down after he had been consecrated.