Clergyman who could split the church

FOR 30 years Canon Gene V Robinson has tended to his flock in New Hampshire, preaching the word of God, attending their sick and needy, baptising their young and burying their dead.

At a glance there is nothing extraordinary about auburn-haired Canon Robinson, who has risen through the ranks of the clergy largely as a result of his dedication to his parishioners.

But when those parishioners decided earlier this year that they wanted him to become their bishop, a crisis emerged which now threatens to split the 77 million members of the worldwide Anglican Church.