Church of England women bishops: archbishops will overrule synod

The archbishop of Canterbury plans to force legislation through if the General Synod does not accept female bishops

The Guardian, Andrew Brown, Wednesday 9 July 2014

Justin Welby, leader of the Church of England, will chair the General
Synod's debate. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PA

The archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is preparing to drive through legislation to allow women bishops even if it is rejected by the church's governing body, the General Synod.

The synod is poised to vote again on the vexed plan next week but senior sources have told the Guardian that should the move be blocked again, there are now options being considered to force the change on the church.

Options under consideration include an immediate dissolution of the synod so that fresh elections could produce a sufficient majority by November, or even a move by the bishops in the House of Lords to introduce the legislation without synodical approval.

The dramatic intervention would be designed to pre-empt any attempts, which are already being threatened by parliament, to remove the church's exemption from equality legislation.

"It's quite clear that there absolutely is a plan C which the archbishops have prepared," said one source. He explained that the plan is being called plan C because the present legislation is itself plan B, prepared after the dramatic failure of earlier legislation in 2012 which left the church in shock and led to direct threats of parliamentary intervention.

A second source, who has campaigned in favour of women's ordination, said: "If it fails this time, it's up to the bishops [in the Lords]. They can get rid of the synod or they can ask parliament to act directly."

The archbishop of Canterbury will chair the synod's debate and is expected to speak about the plans to press on with the legislation almost as soon as the result of the vote is known, in the event that women's bishops are again opposed.

The synod could be dissolved and a freshly elected synod would convene in November to vote the measure through. The other suggestion is that the bishops in the House of Lords could bring in the legislation on their own. This would certainly pass, but might lead to a crisis within the synod and would further poison relations with the conservative evangelicals.

Supporters of women bishops are largely confident of success in Monday's vote. They need only six of the synod's lay members to have changed their minds since the last vote in November 2012 for the two-thirds majority they need. Five of those who earlier voted against have told the Church Times that they will approve the new legislation. They have been persuaded by the increased clarity of the revised measure. There was widespread revulsion and incomprehension which greeted the synod's decision to vote down the proposals last time.

Opinion polls, and voting in the dioceses, show an overwhelming majority of the Church of England are in favour of women bishops. But the lay members of the synod are elected through a committee process which favours the old and the fanatical and has given a disproportionate strength to the conservative evangelicals who believe the Bible forbids women to exercise authority over men.

If the legislation passes the General Synod, parliament will rapidly approve it and it will become law in November. The first women bishops are likely to be appointed around Christmas, ending twenty years of wrangling that followed the ordination of women as priests.

The stakes are high. After the 2012 vote Tony Baldry MP, who is the Church's liaison officer with parliament, warned that any further failure would not be tolerated. parliament would step in to legislate for women bishops whether the synod wanted it or not.

Such a move would destabilise the rickety balance of the establishment: the general synod was invented to allow the Church of England a form of self-government while ensuring that parliament maintained ultimate control of the established church. The convention is that the synod makes laws which parliament must either reject or accept but may not amend.

Unofficial polling of the synod's lay members suggests the measure will gain the 2/3 majority it needs by four or six votes.

A spokesman for the Archbishop said "We are concentrating on getting the vote through. It would not be helpful to speculate further."

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"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