In the first of two votes that could split their church, US Episcopal leaders on Sunday spoke, prayed, then cast ballots to approve the church's first openly gay bishop.
The vote in the church's House of Deputies, made up of clergy and laypeople, was 118 in favor of New Hampshire bishop-elect Reverend Gene Robinson, 63 against, and 25 split.
Each US diocese was represented by four clergy and four laypersons, and each group of four cast one vote. They were told to mute their reaction when the vote was announced.
A split vote occurred when the four persons within the group were divided 2-2.
The matter moved to the church's bishops for final approval yesterday and was widely expected to pass. About a quarter of the bishops who object to the ordination on moral and theological grounds have indicated they would take some sort of action in the form of a walkout or peaceful protest if Robinson is ratified.
"We're not going to accept this," said Bishop Edward Salmon of South Carolina. "We will not accept a change in doctrine. If you're asking whether we're soft on this point, the answer is no."
When asked whether bishops would walk out, Salmon said: "We will want the General Convention to know of our commitment and we will do that." He would not elaborate.
In a statement released after the vote, conservative bishops called it a "tragic decision that leads the Episcopal church to the brink of shattering the Anglican family. But it's still not too late to pull back from schism."
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