DENVER, July 13 (Reuters) - As they neared the end of their triennial convention on Thursday, U.S. Episcopal bishops in a close vote, struck down -- at least for now -- a controversial proposal to draft rites celebrating gay and lesbian relationships.

After three days of emotional debate, however, at the 73rd General Convention which ends Friday, 200 bishops in attendance overwhelmingly approved several compromise measures making it clear that the 2.4 million member U.S. Episcopal Church was moving towards full acceptance of homosexual relationships.

Among the approved measures were acknowledgments that gay and nonmarried heterosexual couples exist in the church; and that the Church would continue to discuss the issue while acknowledging its traditional teachings on the sanctity of marriage. The bishops also denounced ``promiscuity, exploitation and abusiveness'' in any relationship.

The Episcopalians are not alone in dealing with these issues. Two weeks ago after an emotional debate, Presbyterian Church leaders meeting in Long Beach, Calif., voted to bar ministers from blessing gay unions in any form.

Liberals within the Episcopal Church saw Thursday's vote as a victory.

``The question is no longer whether our relationships exist or are from God, the question is how they should be celebrated,'' said Michael Hopkins the president of the leading gay group in the church, Integrity. ``The trajectory is clearly toward full acceptance and celebration'' of gay and lesbian unions, Hopkins said.

Conservatives, while making efforts to be respectful of the differing views of their fellow Christians, said the issue could ultimately cause conservatives and liberals to go their separate ways.

``We will wrestle with this issue until it splits the Church,'' said the Very Rev. David Anderson, a spokesman for the American Anglican Council, the church's conservative alliance. ``If the Church follows secular culture then that defines what the Church is. I think we should be counter culture, take the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and (with it) change the fundamental values of the culture.''

In the Episcopal Church, resolutions must be approved by both ``houses'' of the church's bicameral system -- the 200 bishops in attendance and 832 lay and clergy deputies.

Deputies on Tuesday voted in alignment with the bishops, approving the compromise measures relating to nonmarital sexuality, but narrowly defeating the gay union rites proposal by a mere three votes.

On Wednesday, the bishops also voted to restudy the issue of liturgical rites for gay, lesbian and nonmarital relationships, for reintroduction at the next General Convention in 2003. Deputies will have to vote on the new proposal before Friday.

During debate, many bishops said they approved of the concept of preparing new liturgies for gays and lesbians, but that they feared losing parishioners, whom they said aren't ready for the church to endorse same-sex relationships.

``Our intent is not to encourage people to live outside marriage,'' said The Rt. Rev. Charles Duvall, bishop of the Central Gulf Coast region of Florida.

However, according to the Church's current interpretation of the Bible, homosexual sex is a sin while heterosexuals may engage in sexual relations within marriage. ``There is an inequality that I'm not yet in a position to resolve,'' Duvall said. ``This needs further study outside the House of  Bishops.''

18:29 07-13-00