Days after U.S. Episcopal bishops failed to close a rift over gay clergy, another group with more power to determine the fate of the Anglican Communion is about to meet -- an African-led alliance that is outraged by western acceptance of homosexuality.

Their next summit -- a four-day meeting of African, Asian and Latin American bishops in Rwanda beginning Tuesday -- will display the clout of the tradition-rooted "Global South" bloc within the 77 million-member fellowship, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Some groups have appealed for a cooler approach to prevent one of Christianity's biggest meltdowns in centuries. Others are calling for a definitive breakup of churches whose spiritual roots stretch back to 16th-century England -- a measure some conservative Episcopalians support.

The stakes go beyond the Anglican tradition and could set the tone in other mainline denominations over how to interpret biblical passages regarding gay relationships.

"A formal break is absolutely essential," said Bishop John Rodgers Jr., a Pennsylvania-based leader of a global network of conservative Anglicans.

His group plans to circulate a petition at the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, that says the communion is in "irreconcilable division" and describes broader tolerance -- such as gay priests and same-sex blessings -- as a "heresy and denial of the Bible."

"The burden of preserving the Anglican faith has necessarily fallen upon churches in Africa and Asia," says a draft of the document obtained by The Associated Press.

The conservative leadership has staked out an us-or-them strategy, promoting themselves as the true voice of the Anglicans and telling liberals to change their ways or get out.

They have the advantage of numbers. The vast majority of Anglicans now live in former European colonies where Christianity was imported by missionaries -- which is also changing Roman Catholicism and other churches.

Conservative Anglican dioceses in the developing world, led by Nigeria, have opened their doors to anyone wanting to part ways with the liberals.

A growing wave of clergy from the United States, Britain and elsewhere has switched allegiance to congregations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In New York, conservative Episcopal bishops failed this week to secure what is called an ideological exemption -- a proposal to remain within the fold of their liberal church but not answer to the Episcopal leadership, which will be taken over in November by Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to head the denomination.

The impasse could prompt more defections to "Global South" churches and possibly open bitter legal fights if breakaway dioceses try to keep control of property and other assets.

The rifts have been building for decades on disputes including women's ordination, but reached a critical stage in 2003 when the Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The election of Jefferts Schori was another serious jolt to Anglican unity.

The communion's spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, has struggled to keep some hope alive, but lacks any direct authority to enforce his views. Proposals have included creating a two-tier system with a lesser role for churches that back the nontraditional path.

Anglican bishops from southern Africa issued an appeal to save the communion, but acknowledged there is no clear solution on the horizon. "What unites us far outweighs what divides us," the statement said.

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