Church of England Women Bishops Talks Stall Again

A conclusion has yet to be reached by the Church of England on its plans to allow women to become bishops after talks among leaders fell through last week.

|TOP|The latest delay in drawing up legislation comes after one of the most senior female clerics in the Church, the Very Rev Vivienne Faull, the Dean of Leicester, said that she would have felt unable to become a bishop under the plans that had been proposed, reports The Telegraph.

A report by a group chaired by the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Rev Christopher Hill, outlined the proposed plans that suggested transferring the responsibility for traditionalist parishes to bishops sympathetic to their views.

The Church of England was already scheduled to start drawing up legislation earlier in the year that would enable women to become bishops but delayed the process after deciding it needed more time to debate the full implications of such a move, strongly opposed by many conservatives in the Church.

Last week’s meeting of bishops in Market Bosworth failed to make any progress after the bishops were unable to reach any firm agreement on the issue.
A senior source said that the bishops had last week found it impossible to reach a consensus.

"We haven't been able to come up with a workable proposal that would accommodate the different sides," the source said. "Despite a long period of discussion and argument, arriving at the Synod with a clear proposal from the House of Bishops for taking it forward is not something that we have been able to do.

|AD|"Nothing's off the table, but I'd be surprised if anyone tells you that they know the way forward."

The House of Bishops will now ask General Synod next month for more time to work out a mechanism which they hope will prevent the highly divisive issue from rupturing the Church.

General Synod will take a vote on whether to take the next step with the legislative process and on what measures will be introduced to appease traditionalists.

A new legislative group will also be established to find a way forward in the reforms while ensuring traditionalists are kept content.
Traditionalists in the Church will reissue calls for a ‘third province’ of male only clergy to be set up.

The Rev Geoffrey Kirk, the National Secretary of Forward in Faith, a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic group that represent 400 parishes, said: "Effectively, we are going back to square one. It has been a colossal waste of time, but at least we have a seat at the table now. We will only settle for a third province."

The idea of a third province is not likely to sit well with many women priests in the Church who will feel that their status within the Church has been reduced to that of second class citizen to male bishops.

“We have to ensure that in law bishops, regardless of their gender, are regarded as bishops," said Dean Faull.

The delays are a setback for women bishop campaigners who had hoped to see the first consecration of women in 2012. Dean Faull said, however, that under the proposals put forward by Bishop Hill she would not be able to perform as a bishop.

Christina Rees, who chairs Watch, a group that campaigns for women bishops, said: "We need to move forward as soon as possible with legislation that does not discriminate against women. We need a positive resolution on this issue, otherwise we will be in a perpetual state of indecision."