Not long after the group began their activity, members of the Pink Angels, which the statement describes as "a militant mob of homosexuals," confronted the protesters and attempted to drown out their message with whistles, while hiding the signs with large sheets of pink Styrofoam.

At stake may be the long-term future of the Communion, the international association of churches with roots in the Church of England.

And the findings will resonate even further - to Christians in all denominations who believe their faith has unfairly oppressed gays and lesbians, and equally for those who consider changes a direct attack upon the Bible and 2,000 years of Christian teaching.

A fifth of the respondents said they did not believe in a final judgment that would condemn them either to heaven or to hell.

The survey was carried out in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. As three quarters of the clergy participated, its findings are likely to be a reasonable reflection of the national picture.

The figures confirm that the conservatives have lost the battle over women, but they still command the high ground over homosexuality.

The decisions come shortly before the titular leader of the world's Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, is to announce the findings of commission established after the U.S. appointed the world's first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop.

Due to be released on Oct. 18, the report will provide the church's response both to Gene Robinson's appointment as bishop of New Hampshire and to the Canadian church's blessing of same-sex couples.