A summit of Anglican primates will take place in Canterbury, England, in January to try to prevent a permanent split over homosexuality.
The invitation to the primates from the Archbishop of Canterbury will bring together a number of church heads who have not spoken directly to each other for more than a decade.
As one way of dealing with such a rift, Archbishop Justin Welby reportedly wants the primates to scale the Anglican Communion back into a loosely linked organisation.
Aides have likened this to “moving into separate bedrooms” rather than full-scale divorce.