Church of England rejects accord with Methodists

By a narrow margin, the Church of England rejected a historic accord with Britain's Methodist Church, Church of Christ, and United Reform Church.

The ''covenant of unity'' would have allowed mutual recognition of one another's ministers and sacraments, a common leadership of bishops, and a common pool of volunteers and financial resources. Bishops and laity voted in favor of the covenant, but the priests voted narrowly against it. Many Anglicans warned that by accepting the 200 women ministers in the Protestant churches, the Church of England, which does not sanction women priests, would endanger a plan to strengthen ties with the Roman Catholic Church.