The General Conference, which meets every four years, is the only body that speaks officially for the 9 million-member church.

The declaration, adopted with only scattered opposition at a meeting in Cleveland of the 1.7 million-member church, did not try to grapple with the theological validity of the Jewish claim to the land of Israel.

They are the top clergy leaders in the nearly 11 million-member church.

Bishop Griswold rejected the idea that the 2.4 million-member church was in crisis.

The 2.5 million-member church has allowed female priests since 1976, but individual bishops were allowed to set the policies in their dioceses.

The document may yet find broad support before the meeting ends Wednesday in the larger committee that will consider it or in the full body of 630 elected delegates who constitute the highest authority in the three million-member church.

The 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church, the 1 million-member Rwandan church and the 8 million-member Ugandan church belong to the communion, whose bonds allowed St. Andrew's to forge its tie with the Ugandan bishop.

On March 8, the 1.5 million-member church will celebrate "Amistad Sunday," in honor of the Africans and the abolitionists.

In keeping with a 60 million-member American church increasingly known for its independence, a majority of Catholics surveyed say they approve of "many," but by no means all, of the Pope's actions.