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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. | |
More than a thousand women priests were expected to march from Westminster Abbey to St Paul's Cathedral, where a special service is being held. | |
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will deliver a sermon. | The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will deliver a sermon. |
Every woman ordained in 1994 was invited, while all dioceses in England were expected to be represented. | |
The service will give thanks for the dedication of women ordained into the Church and is set to reflect on the work they have achieved since 1994. | The service will give thanks for the dedication of women ordained into the Church and is set to reflect on the work they have achieved since 1994. |
A large screen has been set up to relay the service to people outside St Paul's. | |
'Moving occasion' | 'Moving occasion' |
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 held when the Church voted 22 years ago. | 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 held when the Church voted 22 years ago. |
"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." |
'Just beginning' | 'Just beginning' |
Organisers said the service would demonstrate the Church's public approval of the ordination of women. | |
It comes as legislation is considered that could lead to the first women bishops being ordained by early next year. | It comes as legislation is 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, will preside at the service and said the event would be "just the beginning of so many good things to come". | The Reverend Canon Philippa Boardman, treasurer of St Paul's, will preside at the service and 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 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." | |
Great career | Great career |
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. | |
"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." |
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, canon steward of Westminster Abbey, said the procession would be "an exciting and a moving occasion". | The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, canon steward of Westminster Abbey, said the procession would be "an exciting and a moving occasion". |
"This may be the first time that so many women priests will have been together in one gathering alongside the many people who have supported us down through the years," she said. | |
The procession gathered in Dean's Yard at Westminster Abbey before setting off for St Paul's. | |