Both the Archbishop of Canterbury and his newly-appointed successor are dismayed at the defeat of a proposal to ordain women as bishops in the Church of England.
After hours of debate, the proposal for women bishops won the required two-thirds majority from the general synod’s house of bishops and house of clergy, but was four votes short of the required margin in the house of laity.
The outgoing archbishop, Dr Rowan Williams, admitted his dismay and “deep personal sadness” and said the Anglican Church had “lost credibility”. His successor, Bishop Justin Welby, who will take up the office at the end of the year, said the vote marked a “very grim day” in the history of the Anglican Communion.
The result was greeted with emotion, with some supporters in tears.
Women bishops already serve the Anglican Church in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, but the issue has divided the Anglican Communion for years and member churches in many developing countries oppose any female clergy and are working together to oppose any change.
In New Zealand, the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Victoria Matthews, described the decision as a “product of fear”.
“I have to admit I was gutted by the announcement,” she said. “I would describe it as more than disappointing. As someone who is a woman in leadership and someone who dearly loves the Anglican Communion, it was quite depressing.”
More than 100 members spoke during six hours of discussion in the synod. The discussion focused on ways to designate alternative male bishops to work with traditionalist parishes that might reject the authority of a woman bishop named to head their diocese.
But one lay member, Jane Patterson, urged the synod not to “bow to cultural pressure”, warning that more priests would defect to the Roman Catholic Church, where there are no female clergy, if the law were passed.
Sources:
Image: National Post