Proposals to divide the Church of England into two - one part with female clergy and one without - are being discussed by Church leaders to avert an exodus of traditionalists when women become bishops.
The Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, has told friends he believes such a scheme, though highly controversial, is probably the only way to hold the Church together if it decides to consecrate women.
He has privately won support from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who agrees the options facing the Church are limited.
Both are worried that more than 300 traditionalist clergy could quit in protest, potentially costing tens of millions of pounds in hardship payments to those who leave.
Dr Hope is keen to encourage a compromise between die-hard traditionalists and middle-of-the-road Anglicans that will minimise the structural divisions within the Church.
The diehards are demanding a "third province", a church-within-a-church with its own archbishop, bishops and training colleges operating in parallel with the remainder of the Church, but with no female clergy.
As The Telegraph disclosed in January, the third province option has been included in the unpublished official report on women bishops by a working party headed by the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali.
But Dr Hope prefers a scheme which, rather than creating parallel structures, enshrines the rights of traditionalist parishes that could find themselves in dioceses headed by women bishops or liberals.
Under such a scheme, parishes opposed to women's ordination would be able to reject the pastoral care of their diocesan bishop if they found them unacceptable.
Such parishes could choose to be ministered to by a like-minded traditionalist bishop, who could visit them, if necessary, from outside the diocese.
Parishes can already opt for "flying" bishops under provisions introduced for traditionalists when women were ordained priests 10 years ago.
At present, diocesan bishops retain their authority over their dioceses and operate a "gentleman's agreement" that they will not block flying bishops from operating in their territory. Although this system has worked satisfactorily, Dr Hope fears it will come under such strain when women are consecrated as bishops that it will need bolstering. Critically, diocesan bishops would lose their right to block traditionalist bishops if parishes opt for them.
The proposals are designed to allay the fears of many conservatives that liberal diocesan bishops will gradually undermine the current agreement, and traditionalists will find themselves being squeezed out of the Church.
The General Synod is within its rights to make no concessions to the traditionalists, leaving them either to put up with women bishops or leave without hardship payments.
But the measure will have to pass through Parliament and MPs could reject the whole reform if there is no adequate package of payments attached.
Dr Hope and other Church leaders are convinced that the Synod will baulk at the sums involved - the Church paid £26 million to clergy who left over women priests - and his proposals will gain in popularity.