Church in Wales to vote on women bishops

The Church in Wales will vote this week on whether or not women priests should be given the green light for ordination as bishops.

Members of the Governing Body, the Church's legislative body, will vote on the Bill submitted by six bishops when they meet at the University of Wales in Lampeter on Wednesday.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has thrown his weight behind the Bill, saying that the ordination of women in the Church as bishops is a logical progression from the 1996 decision to permit women priests.

"I do not personally see how having agreed to ordaining women to both the diaconate and priesthood the church can logically exclude women from the episcopate," he said.

"That is why I and my fellow bishops will be asking members of the Governing body to vote in favour of the Bill."

Opponents to the Bill are hoping that clergy members will vote in favour of an amendment seeking the provision of a "flying bishop" to oversee those who feel that the introduction of women bishops goes against their conscience.

Archbishop Morgan told The Times that if the amendment was carried it would amount to a schism. Father Alan Rabjohns, who is leading around 100 clerics against the Bill, told the newspaper, however, that he did not believe amendments would lead to a schism.

"The Bill as it stands doesn't spell out how we would be cared for. We have to look at this and see if we can't put something more specific to continue as loyal members of the Church in Wales. It isn't a schism," he said.

The Bill must be passed by a two-thirds majority in each of the three sections of the Governing Body - the House of Clergy, the House of Laity and the House of Bishops. If the Bill is passed on Wednesday, it will become effective as a canon law immediately.

The Anglican Churches of Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the US already permit the ordination of women as bishops.