Church of England General Synod approves female bishops

Applause in public gallery greets overwhelming vote in favour of measure that ends 20 years of bitter division over issue

theguardian.com, Andrew Brown, Monday 14 July 2014

A member of the clergy arrives for the Church of England General Synod in York,
 which voted in favour of female bishops. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/
Getty Images

The Church of England has finally agreed that women may become bishops next year, breaking with nearly 2,000 years of tradition and ending 20 years of bitter compromises since women were allowed to become priests in 1994.

Applause in the public gallery greeted the overwhelming vote in favour of the measure. Only 45 lay members of the synod voted against it and 152 in favour. The majorities among bishops and clergy were even greater.

The synod had been threatened with parliamentary action if the measure had failed, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had prepared contingency plans to dissolve it and call fresh elections if the vote had gone the wrong way.

But the crisis was averted by a change of mind, and vote, among lay members. A previous attempt in 2012 failed when 74 lay members voted against, preventing the required two-thirds majority among the laity.

The vote means the first woman might become a suffragan (assistant) bishop early next year and her appointment could be announced before the end of 2014. Suffragan vacancies are expected to be filled soon in St Albans.

But because the legislative process will not be complete before the synod next meets in November it will not be legal to place women on the shortlist for consideration as a diocesan (senior) bishop before then. This means that the earliest a woman might take her place in the House of Bishops is next summer.

The first diocesan job to become open to women is Gloucester, whose next bishop will be chosen at a meeting in early January, followed by Oxford and then Newcastle. But none of those women will automatically gain seats in the House of Lords and none of the church's really big jobs are scheduled to fall vacant in the immediate future.

The vote may have been tipped by a closing speech of astonishing force and passion by a blind evangelical Christian who rose to become managing director of Lloyds bank after he had lost his sight.

Speaking to the key evangelical community opposed to the measure, John Spence told them: "Your faith is my faith, is all of our faith, and every one of us has a vital role to ensure that the searing vision of the risen Christ is taken out into this country, trust not misplaced. You, like me, will come to see … I am confident that we can walk hand in hand, and return the risen Christ to his rightful place at the centre of this country, its conscience and its culture."

Earlier Welby had urged the synod to vote in favour, saying that the move would show the world how Christians could practice "good disagreement".

Twenty-seven of the earlier opponents changed their minds, among them Tom Sutcliffe, who said the measure would now bring "episcopal femininity" that would enrich the church.

The conservative evangelical block, which holds that men must never be taught by women, was not entirely pacified by the promise that a male bishop would be appointed who shared their view that the "headship" of the church must be male. Their lay members voted consistently against, as they had done two years ago.

Although the influential conservative evangelical Philip Giddings announced early in the debate that he would vote in favour of the new legislation – there had been moves to unseat him from his post as chairman of the House of Laity after he voted against in 2012 – a number of speakers from his faction, many of them women, announced their continuing opposition and complained that they were marginalised for their convictions.

But the Anglo-Catholics who had opposed female bishops on grounds of tradition yielded in larger numbers.

Clerics at the Church of England synod in York take a 'selfie' as they celebrate

after the vote to allow female bishops. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty

Related Articles:

Jubilation as Church of England's synod votes to allow female bishops 

Church of England women bishops: archbishops will overrule synod

Justin Welby to Anglicans: abandon old fears and welcome female bishops

Second priest defies Church of England to marry his same sex partner

Church of England welcomes Catholics into Lambeth Palace

Pope stresses 'service' role for women in Catholic Church`


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… I gave you a channelling years ago when Pope John Paul was alive. John Paul loved Mary, the mother. Had John Paul survived another 10 years, he would have done what the next Pope [The one after the current one, Benedict XVI] will do, and that is to bring women into the Church. This Pope you have now [Benedict XVI] won't be here long.* The next Pope will be the one who has to change the rules, should he survive. If he doesn't, it will be the one after that.

There is a large struggle within the Church, even right now, and great dissention, for it knows that it is not giving what humanity wants. The doctrine is not current to the puzzles of life. The answer will be to create a better balance between the feminine and masculine, and the new Pope, or the one after that, will try to allow women to be in the higher echelon of the Church structure to assist the priests.

It will be suggested to let women participate in services, doing things women did not do before. This graduates them within church law to an equality with priests, but doesn't actually let them become priests just yet. However, don't be surprised if this begins in another way, and instead gives priests the ability to marry. This will bring the feminine into the church in other ways. It will eventually happen and has to happen. If it does not, it will be the end of the Catholic Church, for humanity will not sustain a spiritual belief system that is out of balance with the love of God and also out of balance with intuitive Human awareness.  …”


Kryon Q&A

Question: With all the turmoil that is going on in the catholic church right now, along with other religions in the past, where do you see organized religion’s place in the coming years?

Answer: Remember this: the turmoil you speak of was foretold in our writings over two year ago:

“Belief systems all over your planet will tear apart with change. Oh, they will remain, but there can be no more fence-sitting in regard to the old ways that no longer work. Those who talk about the love of God but who do not practice it are on a fence, are they not? … The world is beginning to hold them accountable for what they teach.” (Kryon Book 8 – Passing the Marker – 2000 – page 225)

So what you are seeing is right on target. These systems are not on their way out, rather they are in the process of rebuilding the trust of those who follow them. There will always be a need for organized religion. What is happening, however, is that organized religion must (and will) change to meet a more spiritual and discerning Humanity.

Bless this organization, that it will prosper and continue to serve and help humanity the way it was set up to do. See it with a new integrity. The new leader... one who you will know shortly... will have an interesting job, and he will not be able to sit on a fence any longer.

— Kryon