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| March though London to mark 20 years of women priests | March though London to mark 20 years of women priests |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A procession through London has been held to celebrate 20 years since the first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England. | A procession through London has been held to celebrate 20 years since the first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England. |
| Hundreds of women priests and supporters marched from Westminster Abbey to St Paul's Cathedral. | |
| The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told those gathered at St Paul's the CofE still had a "long way to go". | |
| Every woman ordained in 1994 was invited, while all dioceses in England were expected to be represented. | Every woman ordained in 1994 was invited, while all dioceses in England were expected to be represented. |
| The St Paul's service gave thanks for the dedication of women ordained into the Church and reflected on the work they have done since 1994. | |
| A large screen was set up to relay the service to people outside. | |
| Before the march, the crowd gave three cheers for the general synod for voting, in 1992, to allow women priests. | Before the march, the crowd gave three cheers for the general synod for voting, in 1992, to allow women priests. |
| The Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons, was carrying the same placard - reading "women - beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God" - that she had held when that vote took place. | |
| "We were told we must be quiet then," she told the BBC. "We were told not to celebrate, but today I am going to celebrate." | "We were told we must be quiet then," she told the BBC. "We were told not to celebrate, but today I am going to celebrate." |
| And the Bishop of Willesden, the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent, recalled walking into a pub after the 1992 vote. | And the Bishop of Willesden, the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent, recalled walking into a pub after the 1992 vote. |
| "The whole pub - not just the Church people - cheered like mad," he said. | "The whole pub - not just the Church people - cheered like mad," he said. |
| The Reverend Claire Herbert, lecturer in inclusive theology at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, was one of the first women to be ordained. | The Reverend Claire Herbert, lecturer in inclusive theology at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, was one of the first women to be ordained. |
| "For most of us it has completely changed our lives," she said. | "For most of us it has completely changed our lives," she said. |
| "It's so fantastic to be surrounded by women because we usually don't see each other all that much. | "It's so fantastic to be surrounded by women because we usually don't see each other all that much. |
| "You also realise how many of us there are." | "You also realise how many of us there are." |
| 'Costly grind' | |
| In his sermon at St Paul's, Archbishop Welby said: "As we celebrate how far we have come, let us be mindful of the distance yet to travel. | |
| "In 20 years we have come a long way. | |
| "How did we not see that women and men are equally icons, witnesses, vessels of Christ for the world?" | |
| He told those at the service they should not forget the "costly grind" which paved the way for the ordination of women. | |
| "In our celebrations let us not overlook the cost, the bitterness of disappointment and rejection, the knee-jerk resistance of an institution facing change," he said. | |
| 'Just beginning' | 'Just beginning' |
| Legislation is being considered that could lead to the first women bishops being ordained by early next year. | |
| The Reverend Canon Philippa Boardman, treasurer of St Paul's - who presided at the St Paul's service while Archbishop Welby acted as deacon - said the event would be "just the beginning of so many good things to come". | |
| "Twenty years ago when the huge wooden doors of St Paul's Cathedral swung open as the procession of the soon-to-be-ordained women came in, it was a time of great hope and also some concern about the impact on the unity of the Church," she said. | "Twenty years ago when the huge wooden doors of St Paul's Cathedral swung open as the procession of the soon-to-be-ordained women came in, it was a time of great hope and also some concern about the impact on the unity of the Church," she said. |
| "Twenty years on, many of these hopes have been fulfilled and fears allayed as women and men have worked together as priests, bringing new life to churches and parishes including some of the neediest communities in our country." | "Twenty years on, many of these hopes have been fulfilled and fears allayed as women and men have worked together as priests, bringing new life to churches and parishes including some of the neediest communities in our country." |
| But the Reverend Sally Hitchiner, a priest and senior chaplain at Brunel University in London, said women still had some way to go to achieve equality in the Church. | But the Reverend Sally Hitchiner, a priest and senior chaplain at Brunel University in London, said women still had some way to go to achieve equality in the Church. |
| "I think it's a wider reflection of society that young women in general don't feel as confident as young men often do," she said. | "I think it's a wider reflection of society that young women in general don't feel as confident as young men often do," she said. |
| "Part of that is role models, part of that is the pressures on girls in particular in society. | "Part of that is role models, part of that is the pressures on girls in particular in society. |
| "But part of that is just that we need to get the message out there that the Church believes in women and young women in particular can come through and have a great career in the Church." | "But part of that is just that we need to get the message out there that the Church believes in women and young women in particular can come through and have a great career in the Church." |