The world's leading Anglican clerics have criticised rebel clergy in the United States and Canada for threatening to tear their movement apart by defying its conservative stance on homosexuality.
After two days' of crisis talks in London, the 37 clerics said in a statement they "deeply regret" the actions of US Anglicans for electing openly gay cleric Gene Robinson as bishop and Canadian Anglicans for voting to allow same-sex unions.
But they stopped short of calling for the expulsion of the North American rebels as some church conservatives had sought.
"These actions threaten the unity of our own communion," they said in a statement.
"If his (Robinson's] consecration proceeds, we recognise that we have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of the Anglican communion and we have had to conclude that the future of the communion itself will be put in jeopardy."
The Anglican communion unites 38 churches spread over 160 countries, from Africa to Australia. The two-day meeting in London brought together 37 of the 38 leaders of the provinces of the church. The 38th, the Philippines, was unable to attend.
Conservative Anglicans have called on church leaders to expel American liberals from the communion for ignoring the Anglican movement's position on homosexuality.
That position, agreed at the Lambeth Conference of 1998, says the communion cannot support "the legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions or ordaining of those involved in same-sex unions".
The next flashpoint for the church is likely to come on November 2nd, when Mr Robinson is due to be consecrated.