The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that the churches of the Anglican Communion must be safe places for gay and lesbian people.

In the aftermath of a tense Anglican Primates (provincial heads) meeting in Tanzania, under-fire Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church in the United States has briefed the community of people who work at the denomination's Centre in New York on how oversight will be offered to a church divided on issues of sexuality and biblical interpretation.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who is spiritual head of the fractious 78-million strong worldwide Anglican Communion, has described the decisions taken by the recent Primates (heads of provinces) meeting in Tanzania as a trust-building exercise to preserve unity in the face of disagreement.

For the past 48 hours the websites, newsgroups and email lists of Anglicans across the world have been abuzz with analysis, argument and counter-argument concerning the outcome of the Anglican Primates (heads of provinces) meeting in Tanzania, which ended earlier this week.