3. The AAC press release on behalf of the Connecticut Six states that they filed civil proceedings in late September 2005 after "months of inaction and delay by the Panel of Reference". In fact, the reference to the Panel was only received from the Archbishop of Canterbury on 24th October, 2005.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the monarchy and the legal system had both emerged from the Judeo-Christian ethic.

'Values come from the Bible'

Born a Muslim in Pakistan, Dr Nazir-Ali said: "All our values come ultimately from the Bible.

"People of other faiths recognise this and they are not often the ones asking for a multi-faith mish-mash. They recognise the value of Britain being a Christian country."

"Marriage is a theological matter of first importance for the church," Doss said during a press conference in the Dirksen Senate office building. "It raises some of the most fundamental, complex, and vexing issues of theology... Such issues demand the church's most careful and profound deliberation, and that is to take place in our parishes, councils, seminaries, publications, and places of theological reflection.

Despite a growing threat to Britain's traditional identity as a Christian country, bishops have found it impossible to act in unity or even discuss "ways of upholding the uniqueness of Christ in the public square".

"Surely this is where bishops and the Church as a whole should act together?" he asked. "So far, there has been little interest, and our ecclesiastical bureaucracies remain preoccupied with pre-eminently churchy matters."