Synod closer to women bishops after bitter debate

The Independent
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
17 February 2005


Plans to appoint women bishops have moved a step closer despite warnings from opponents that the issue will cause a seismic split within the Church of England.

The General Synod, the governing body of the Church, voted yesterday, after a bitter, day-long debate, to continue discussions on the subject when it next meets in July. Traditionalists are fiercely opposed to the ordination of women bishops, claiming it goes against biblical teachings and would severely damage relations with the Catholic Church. Church reformers say the current position which allows women to become priests but bars them from more senior positions, is untenable and "embarrassing" for the church's image.

A clear majority of the 500-member Synod voted to continue the debate on women bishops. Members will vote in July on whether to set in train the legislative process that could see the first female bishops take up their posts by 2010.

Christina Rees, of the pressure group Women in the Church, said: "The vast majority of church members want women bishops. Excluding half the human race is increasingly embarrassing."

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