At the Center of a Schism

How Archbishop Peter Akinola's rejection of liberal "sins" and the ordination of gay clergy could push the Anglican Church to split

George Osodi/AP Photo

Archbishop who has raised fears of a schism in the Anglican church over attitudes toward homosexuality has chosen a different battle at home: the fight against corruption and the "dirty game" of politics.

Correction Appended: February 14, 2007

The most Rev. Peter Akinola of Nigeria was in New York City late in January making one of his increasingly frequent forays into what he once would have considered enemy territory. Only journalists from religious publications were invited to cover the occasion, at Manhattan's swank Metropolitan Club--which probably suited the Archbishop, who has become wary of the mainstream press since a December New York Times story that advisers feel wrongly portrayed him as a homophobe. But a friend of the Nigerian primate's told TIME that Akinola received a standing ovation. The actual guest of honor was a...

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