COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The threat of a split in the worldwide Anglican family hovered over a national meeting of the Episcopal Church, as delegates considered whether they should preserve unity by temporarily barring gays from becoming bishop.

New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, pleaded with the church General Convention not to enact a ban.

If Episcopalians "see Christ in the faithful lives of our gay and lesbian members," they should have the courage to say so, no matter the potential consequences, he said.

"Please, I beg you, let's say our prayers and stand up for right," he said, at a hearing last night on the issue that drew a capacity crowd of 1,500 people.

Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan, head of a network of conservative Episcopal dioceses that opposed Bishop Robinson's consecration, told delegates the progressive and conservative wings of the church should acknowledge their differences and part.

"We've reached a moment where it is very difficult, indeed I think we've reached an impossible moment, in holding it together," Bishop Duncan said.

The convention is deciding the church's response to the 2004 Windsor Report.

That document sought ways to keep the global Anglican Communion together and asked Episcopalians for a moratorium on electing more gay bishops and repentance for the turmoil over Bishop Robinson's 2003 consecration. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. arm of the communion.

However, the main proposal before the convention does not include a moratorium. Instead, it asks dioceses to "exercise very considerable caution" in electing leaders. Delegates can revise or reject the legislation.