Church of England to discuss legislation on women bishops

The Church of England’s governing body is meeting this week to discuss draft legislation on women bishops.

The General Synod will consider provision for parishes that cannot in conscience accept the oversight of a female bishop.

Orthodox group Reform has threatened to vote down the legislation to allow women in the episcopate unless “generous” provision is made for traditionalists.

It is backing the Manchester motion, which draws on an amendment proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 2010 to not only grant male oversight to traditionalist parishes, but give the male bishops ‘co-ordinate’ as opposed to ‘delegated’ jurisdiction within the diocese.

Reform chairman, the Rev Rod Thomas, warned of “disunity and division” if the draft legislation comes back to General Synod for final approval in July unamended.

“Do Synod members wish to see the ministry of those who are opposed to women bishops on theological grounds progressively removed from the Church of England, or can we even at this late stage, encourage a more generous and inclusive approach?” he said.

Opponents of the change claim it would undermine the authority of women in the episcopate and render them second-class bishops.

Lobby group Women and the Church (WATCH) said: “The draft legislation is a major compromise for us, as it requires that there will still be parishes where women priests and bishops are not allowed to minister.

“The Archbishops’ amendment would, we believe, be used by those who oppose women bishops to separate parishes from their diocesan bishop and undermine the traditional understanding of the diocesan bishop as having authority over his or her whole diocese.

“We believe it would be a disastrous precedent to allow in law that parishes could choose their own bishop on this issue, or on any other.”