Church of England Synod Passes New Amended Women Bishops Motion

The Church of England General Synod has continued upon its path towards the creation of women bishops this week, as a motion calling for the exploration of practical and legislative arrangements of admitting women bishops to the episcopate was passed by a large majority.

|PIC1|The motion was accepted with three main amendments from the original version, and it took a four-hour debate by the Synod to come to its conclusion on the matter.

The move will now invite dioceses, deaneries and parishes “to continue serious debate and reflection on the theological, practical, ecumenical and missiological aspects of the issue” of ordaining women bishops.

In addition, the proposals will call for the formation of a legislative drafting group, “which will aim to include a significant representation of women," charged with "preparing the draft measure and amending canon necessary to remove the legal obstacles to the consecration of women to the office of bishop.”

It is also expected that the legislative drafting group will prepare a report on probable legal provisions that may be needed “to maintain the highest possible degree of communion with those conscientiously unable to receive the ministry of women bishops”.

The motion was presented to the General Synod by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. In doing so he revealed that when the principle of women bishops was agreed upon on 8th July, it had established the theological congruency that women should be admitted to the episcopate “but the theological discussion is not over”.

He said, “This vote moves us further towards the question of how and when this should be recognised.”

|TOP|Dr Williams, who is spiritual head of the world’s 77-million Anglicans, told that the task now as to bring about discussion between the divided sides of the debate, and that further theological thinking was necessary.

Referring to the canonical change required for the implementation of women bishops, he said, “The issues of jurisdiction and authority are undeniably unfinished business [and] we are some way short of having a set of propositions that will command a two-thirds majority when that is required.”

A canonical change would also require that such a measure be approved by the British parliament. Therefore, meaning that it is predicted that women bishops in England will not be canonically possible until at least 2012.

Speaking about the 8 proposed amendments to the motion, Williams asked that the Synod not get entangled in too many of them.

“They will only intensify levels of unproductive conflict,” he said. “It would be good if people do not go away from this Synod feeling like they have engaged in a ‘zero-sum’ transaction.”

During the debate the Church of England Youth Council representative, Tom Pugh, said that he had no issue with women bishops because he came from a different generation where men and women seem to be treated equally at all levels.

|AD|He jokingly stated: “I am told there was a woman prime minister, but that was well before my time. I have never known the world without the ordained ministry of women. Please help me understand your view. We would urge Synod to include young people in the many conversations that are taking place on this issue.”

Prior to the vote taking place on the amended motion, Archbishop Williams reminded the Synod of the four governing principles of “clarity, charity, affirmation and action”, and applauded them for their efforts so far in moving forward the issue.

He urged: “We're here because God has given us certain gifts and we're trying to work out what to do with them and how to respond to them,” he said.

“Loyalty, obedience, mutual obligation, recognition, are the seedbed of a genuinely fruitful, evangelical and ecclesiastical ministry. I plea that we see this process as the seedbed for the creativeness for the future.”

The full text of the successfully amended motion is as follows:

14. 'That this Synod, endorsing Resolution 111.2 of the Lambeth Conference 1998 "that those who dissent from, as well as those who assent to the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate are both loyal Anglicans" and believing that the implications of admitting women to the episcopate will best be discerned by continuing to explore in detail the practical and legislative arrangements:

(a) invite dioceses, deaneries and parishes to continue serious debate and reflection on the theological, practical, ecumenical and missiological aspects of the issue;

(b) invite the Archbishops' Council, in consultation with the Standing Committee of the House of Bishops and the Appointments Committee, to secure the early appointment of a legislative drafting group, which will aim to include a significant representation of women in the spirit of Resolution 13/31 of the Anglican Consultative Council passed in July 2005, charged with:

(i) preparing the draft measure and amending canon necessary to remove the legal obstacles to the consecration of women to the office of bishop;
(ii)
(iii) preparing a draft of possible additional legal provision consistent with Canon A4 to establish arrangements that would seek to maintain the highest possible degree of communion with those conscientiously unable to receive the ministry of women bishops;
(iv)
(iii) submitting the results of its work to the House of Bishops for consideration and submission to Synod; and

(c) instruct the Business Committee to make time available, before first consideration of the draft legislation, for the Synod to consider, in the light of any views expressed by the House of Bishops, the arrangements proposed in the drafting group's report.'