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Church vote backs women bishops | |
(20 minutes later) | |
The Church of England's ruling General Synod has voted to ordain women as bishops and approved a code of practice aimed at reassuring opponents. | |
But the code falls short of safeguards demanded by traditionalists, such as male "super-bishops" for objectors. | |
BBC correspondent Robert Piggot said the vote was conclusive and had been accompanied by emotional scenes. | |
Some 1,300 clergy had threatened to leave the Church if safeguards were not agreed to reassure traditionalists. | Some 1,300 clergy had threatened to leave the Church if safeguards were not agreed to reassure traditionalists. |
'Structurally humiliating' | 'Structurally humiliating' |
Opponents of women's ordination as bishops had made the threat to leave in a letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, but critics said many of the signatories were retired rather than serving clergy. | |
Women in the Church had said any compromise allowing traditionalists to go to parallel or "super-bishops" instead of female bishops would institutionalise division. | Women in the Church had said any compromise allowing traditionalists to go to parallel or "super-bishops" instead of female bishops would institutionalise division. |
Following six hours of debate, which saw one bishop in tears, the Synod rejected both the "super-bishops" proposal as well as the traditionalists' preferred option of new dioceses for objectors. | |
Our correspondent said the safeguards set out by the code were as yet unspecified. | |
During the debate at the University of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he would be in favour of "a more rather than a less robust" form of accommodating traditionalists. | During the debate at the University of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he would be in favour of "a more rather than a less robust" form of accommodating traditionalists. |
He added: "I am deeply unhappy with any scheme or any solution to this which ends up, as it were, structurally humiliating women who might be nominated to the episcopate." | He added: "I am deeply unhappy with any scheme or any solution to this which ends up, as it were, structurally humiliating women who might be nominated to the episcopate." |
But Synod member and traditionalist Gerry O'Brien was hissed as he compared the decision to the US Episcopal Church's controversial ordination of Bishop Gene Robinson, who is gay. | |
Mr O'Brien said: "We can force people out of the Church of England but I think the experience in America says you can't force people out of the Anglican communion, because there are a lot of archbishops elsewhere in the world who will be more than ready to provide the support." | |
Christina Rees, chairwoman of Women and the Church, which supports female ordination, said she welcomed the decision. | |
She added: "It is very good for the church and very good for women and also good for the whole nation." | |
The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994. | The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994. |