As the time of the actual consecration comes – the moment when the priest is to be made into a bishop – all the other bishops taking part form a circle round the bishop-to-be and lay their hands on his head and shoulders.

Seeing this spectacle, the little girl turns to her mother and asks: "Mummy, what are they doing?" and her mother replies: "They're taking out his back bone, dear."

When the General Synod, which likes to think of itself as the church's parliament, opens in York tomorrow, one item which was originally on the agenda will not be on the agenda any more.

It was a private member's motion on the need for the Christian Church – specifically the Church of England – in this country to attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Not that it specifically mentioned Muslims, mind you. The exact words of the mover – layman Paul Eddy, a 40-year-old "conservative evangelical" – were: "That this Synod requests the House of Bishops to report to the Synod on their understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in Britain's multi-faith society, and offer examples and commendations of good practice in sharing the gospel of salvation through Christ alone with people of other faiths and
of none."

Innocuous or what? Well, at least pretty cautious. But not cautious enough for some, it seems. Indeed, unacceptable for some in high Synod places. Mr Eddy's call attracted more than 120 signatures. That put it second from the top in the list of 10 private member's motions appearing on the York Synod agenda.

But this has not impressed those who decide what may or may not be debated by Anglican "MPs". This Muslim motion ticked none of the politically-correct boxes. So it has been removed from the agenda, at least for now.

The reason? "Pressure on the Synod's July timetable," according to a church spokesman. A glance at the list of topics down for debate at York over the next few days shows it is, indeed, a packed programme:

Draft Ecclesiastical Officers (Terms of Service) Measure;

Draft Church of England Pensions (Amendment) Measure;

Draft Vacancies in Suffragan Sees and Others Ecclesiastical Offices Measure;

Crown Beneficies (Parish Representatives) Measure;

Payments to the Churches Conservation Trust (Order 2008);

Legal Officers (Annual Fees) Order 2008.

They talk of little else in Bradford and Birmingham, Halifax and Huddersfield. And, of course, the Synod is once again to consider women bishops. Now there's a politically-correct item for you, unlike the politically most incorrect idea of having a go at evangelising Muslims.

Mr Eddy, who is training for the Anglican ministry, is understandably upset that his attempt to get the Synod to think about converting Muslims has dropped off the agenda. He says that its disappearance suggests that the bishops "no longer believe in the uniqueness of Christ". If he continues saying rude things like that about the bishops, he'll be lucky to find one willing to ordain him. His suggestion has predictably brought "watch-your-language" strictures from some. A cannon at a northern cathedral – not, blessedly, a cathedral in Yorkshire – says: "We've spent nearly 70 years talking about language, so let's be attentive to what language we use when talking to people of other faiths."

Mr Eddy's evangelism of Muslims idea is now set to be tabled for debate at the Synod next year – though just when next year is not yet known.

Meanwhile, Mr Eddy is left wondering who actually controls the agenda of the church's self-styled parliament. He is not the only one. What appears on the agenda is, in theory, decided by the Business Committee. This is a nine-person body whose members, incidentally, include Glyn Webster, of York Minster. It's roughly three-quarters clergy and one-quarter lay people. The unofficial Anglican creed of faith, hope and niceness is doubtless held by all nine who, again without doubt, strongly believe that the greatest of these is niceness.

But dark talk suggests that the worthies have been got at by certain bishops who want them to, er, rearrange the agenda in such a way that Mr Eddy's troublesome motion is pushed off. Mr Eddy himself strongly believes this.

And who can doubt that the Business Committee members, being good Anglicans, feel they really must be nice to the bishops?

The little girl who, all those years ago, asked her mummy what the bishops standing in a circle were doing to the man kneeling down, has long been grown up.

She knows just what they were doing. And she knows something else. She knows – or she at least suspects – that it is those who have had their back bones removed who are behind the dropping from the Synod agenda of Mr Eddy's daring suggestion that Christians ought to think about trying to convert Muslims.