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| Bishop turns down promotion after protests over stance on women | Bishop turns down promotion after protests over stance on women |
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| A bishop recently promoted to the diocese of Sheffield has announced he will not take up the post following mounting protests over his opposition to female priests and bishops. | A bishop recently promoted to the diocese of Sheffield has announced he will not take up the post following mounting protests over his opposition to female priests and bishops. |
| Philip North, the bishop of Burnley, said in a statement on Thursday that it was clear “my leadership would not be acceptable to many”. | Philip North, the bishop of Burnley, said in a statement on Thursday that it was clear “my leadership would not be acceptable to many”. |
| It is the second time that North has decided against taking up an appointment. In 2012, he accepted the post of bishop of Whitby but stepped aside two months later after protests over his opposition to women in the ministry. | |
| His decision to stand aside came two weeks after Martyn Percy, the dean of Christ Church, Oxford, publicly called on North to reconsider his promotion to a diocesan bishop, saying his opposition to female priests would “cause significant pastoral and public damage to the church”. | His decision to stand aside came two weeks after Martyn Percy, the dean of Christ Church, Oxford, publicly called on North to reconsider his promotion to a diocesan bishop, saying his opposition to female priests would “cause significant pastoral and public damage to the church”. |
| Percy’s comments were followed by similar calls from clergy and congregations, not least in Sheffield where two-thirds of Anglican priests are women. | Percy’s comments were followed by similar calls from clergy and congregations, not least in Sheffield where two-thirds of Anglican priests are women. |
| North said: “It is with regret and sadness that I have decided that I am unable to take up the nomination as bishop of Sheffield. | North said: “It is with regret and sadness that I have decided that I am unable to take up the nomination as bishop of Sheffield. |
| “The news of my nomination has elicited a strong reaction within the diocese and some areas of the wider church. It is clear that the level of feeling is such that my arrival would be counter-productive in terms of the mission of the church in South Yorkshire and that my leadership would not be acceptable to many.” | “The news of my nomination has elicited a strong reaction within the diocese and some areas of the wider church. It is clear that the level of feeling is such that my arrival would be counter-productive in terms of the mission of the church in South Yorkshire and that my leadership would not be acceptable to many.” |
| He went on to apologise “to the many for whom this decision will come as a disappointment,” adding: “There is clearly much to be done on what it means to disagree well and to live with theological difference in the Church of England. | |
| “The highly individualised nature of the attacks upon me have been extremely hard to bear. If, as Christians, we cannot relate to each other within the bounds of love, how can we possibly presume to transform a nation in the name of Christ? I hope though that this conversation can continue in the future without it being hung upon the shoulders of one individual.” | |
| North, a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic, said he had spent the past few weeks on reflection and prayer before coming to his decision. | North, a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic, said he had spent the past few weeks on reflection and prayer before coming to his decision. |
| He had assured members of his diocese that he was “in favour of women’s leadership and would actively promote it”. However, he is known not to recognise the theological legitimacy of women priests or bishops or male priests who have been ordained by a female bishop. | |
| Percy said: “I have written to Bishop Philip privately in the light of this very difficult decision. My thoughts are with everyone involved at this testing time.” | |
| Women and the Church , a group that campaigns within the C of E for gender equality, expressed “compassion and concern for all involved in this situation – the diocese of Sheffield, its people and churches, and bishop Philip”. | |
| It added: “We know that the debates over the appointment of a non-ordaining bishop to Sheffield have been deeply painful and divisive for all involved. We have always been clear that this is a theological debate and not personal, yet we know that this is not always how comments are heard.” | It added: “We know that the debates over the appointment of a non-ordaining bishop to Sheffield have been deeply painful and divisive for all involved. We have always been clear that this is a theological debate and not personal, yet we know that this is not always how comments are heard.” |
| A pressure group, Sheffield Action on Ministry Equality, had been formed to oppose North’s nomination. | |
| However, a number of female bishops offered their support, including the bishops of Dorking, Repton, and Newcastle. | However, a number of female bishops offered their support, including the bishops of Dorking, Repton, and Newcastle. |