From the BBC:
The Church of England's ruling body, the General Synod, has voted to confirm the ordination of women bishops.
But a national code of practice to accommodate traditionalists was also approved by the Synod, which was meeting in York.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggot said the code would set out as-yet unspecified safeguards.
Some 1,300 clergy had threatened to leave the Church if safeguards were not agreed to reassure traditionalists.
Our correspondent the vote on ordaining female bishops was conclusive and was accompanied by emotional scenes
'Structurally humiliating'
Opponents of their ordination had made the threat to leave in a letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, but critics say many of the signatories are retired rather than serving clergy.
Women in the Church had said any compromise allowing traditionalists to go to parallel or "super-bishops" instead of female bishops would institutionalise division.
During the debate at the University of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he would be in favour of "a more rather than a less robust" form of accommodating traditionalists.
He added: "I am deeply unhappy with any scheme or any solution to this which ends up, as it were, structurally humiliating women who might be nominated to the episcopate."
The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994.
The Church of England's ruling body, the General Synod, has voted to confirm the ordination of women bishops.
But a national code of practice to accommodate traditionalists was also approved by the Synod, which was meeting in York.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggot said the code would set out as-yet unspecified safeguards.
Some 1,300 clergy had threatened to leave the Church if safeguards were not agreed to reassure traditionalists.
Our correspondent the vote on ordaining female bishops was conclusive and was accompanied by emotional scenes
'Structurally humiliating'
Opponents of their ordination had made the threat to leave in a letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, but critics say many of the signatories are retired rather than serving clergy.
Women in the Church had said any compromise allowing traditionalists to go to parallel or "super-bishops" instead of female bishops would institutionalise division.
During the debate at the University of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he would be in favour of "a more rather than a less robust" form of accommodating traditionalists.
He added: "I am deeply unhappy with any scheme or any solution to this which ends up, as it were, structurally humiliating women who might be nominated to the episcopate."
The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994.
I really do hope that the Anglo-Catholics can escape. The Anglican bishops who have recently been in talks with the CDF in Rome are believed to completely bypassed the liberal Catholic bishops of England and Wales. I have also heard rumours that one member of the English heirarchy has gone as far as to say that he is in favour of women in Holy Orders. Kyrie Eleison...
1 comment:
Ooooh you must tell us which Liberal bishop!
I never knew you weren't a Catholic! I shall pray that quickly you will be welcomed into the Church :)
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