Church Group Split Over Women Bishops

|PIC1|New proposals are failing to heal the rift in the Church of England over the consecration of women bishops.

According to The Daily Telegraph, bishops within the Church remain divided over the issue, with the traditionalist contingency complaining that the plan does not go far enough to protect them.

The proposals are being drawn up by a working party of the House of Bishops in an attempt to prevent hundreds of traditionalists from walking out of the Church when women become bishops.

Liberals have complained, however, that that the proposals will demean women and institutionalise schism.

The ongoing disputes between liberals and traditionalists bring into question whether the bishops will be able to present the proposals as their favoured opinion to the General Synod during the next debate on the issue in February.

One of the greatest changes, if the proposals are adopted, would be the agreement from the Archbishop of Canterbury to give up his role of consecrating women and delegate the task to another bishop.

|AD|While Dr Rowan Williams would continue to preside at all consecrations in the South of England, it would be a symbolic rather than legal requirement.

The move is hoped to appease traditionalists in the Church by freeing the Archbishop of Canterbury from personally consecrating women.

The proposals also leave the way open for the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York to appoint traditionalist bishops to minister the several hundred parishes expected to reject the consecration of women bishops.

More controversial is the legal right that the proposals will give to these traditionalist bishops to minister in the parishes that want them, regardless of the views of the diocesan bishop.

The proposals, however, will make things more difficult for traditionalist parishes, which, at present, can opt for a “flying” bishop if a majority of the parochial church council votes to do so.

Under the new proposals, the electorate would be widened, and votes may have to be regularly repeated.