Church leaders from Africa and Asia are threatening to walk out of a "make or break" meeting on homosexuality set to take place in Kent this morning.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has invited 38 primates from the worldwide Anglican Church to the cathedral city in an effort to avert a permanent split on the divisive issue.

The row has torn the Church apart for a decade - with conservatives accusing liberals of abandoning the word of God by backing openly gay bishops and marriages for gay couples – and the Archbishop wants to broker a deal to allow both sides to co-exist peacefully.

But it is thought as many as 12 conservative archbishops from Africa and Asia are preparing to quit the meeting unless the liberal Americans “repent” or the Archbishop throws them out.

It is feared they would then boycott future official meetings and set up a parallel church, drawing away traditionalists from the Church of England.

The Mail on Sunday last week reported that the three most powerful leaders, the Archbishops of Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, were on the brink of snubbing the meeting altogether, but were persuaded to attend by colleagues still hoping to force concessions from Welby.

Ahead of the meeting, Archbishop Welby told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he wanted "reconciliation", but that would mean "finding ways to disagree well".

He added: "It would not be good if the Church is unable to set an example to the world of showing how we can love one another and disagree profoundly, because we are brought together by Jesus Christ, not by our own choice."

"Certainly I want reconciliation, but reconciliation doesn't always mean agreement - in fact, it very seldom does. It means finding ways to disagree well and that's what we've got to do this week."

The meeting's agenda is also expected to include the issues of religiously-motivated violence, the protection of children and vulnerable adults, and the environment.