Archbishop backs gay partnerships

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said in a leaked private letter that gay relationships are "comparable to marriage" in the eyes of God. In the letter, written shortly before he became archbishop, Dr Williams says: "An active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might ... reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage, if and only if it had about it the same character of absolute covenanted faithfulness."

The letter will infuriate conservative factions in the Anglican communion. While Dr Williams was seen as a liberal, he has been careful to avoid any statements of outright acceptance of homosexuality in an attempt to hold the church together.