A majority of Church of England worshippers support the ordination of practising homosexuals, according to a poll.
The finding comes ahead of an emergency summit of the world's Anglican bishops in London this week to discuss gay ordination -- an issue that has threatened to split the Anglican church down the middle.
Fifty-two percent of Anglicans here support the ordination of practising homosexuals, according to an ICM survey of 500 worshippers published in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams -- spiritual head of the world's 70 million Anglicans -- will Wednesday open a summit that aims to tackle the controversial subject.
The two-day gathering was sparked by the confirmation of openly gay cleric Gene Robinson as Episcopal bishop of the US state of New Hampshire earlier this year.
Williams is known for his liberal views and his support -- in principle -- for the appointment of gay clergy.
He raised no objection to the appointment in July of the openly gay Canon Jeffrey John as bishop for the British town of Reading. John later withdrew his candidacy to avert a schism between conservative and liberal factions within the Church of England.