It all ends in tears

Tears as women bishops split looms
By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent

A bishop broke down in tears last night as the Church of England's ruling body vowed to introduce women bishops without compromise measures which would have appeased opponents.
Women bishops allowed after crucial vote by the Church of England. Members of the General Synod can be ordained without traditionalists' safeguards.

The Rt Rev Stephen Venner, the Suffragan Bishop of Dover, said he was ashamed of the church for ignoring the deeply felt wishes of traditionalists at the end of an emotional six-hour debate.
He was comforted by other church leaders on the floor of the General Synod in York as its 468 members took a major step towards women becoming bishops, with just an unwritten statutory code of practice to cater for those who firmly believe the Bible teaches that bishops must be male, as Jesus and his apostles were.

The dramatic late-night vote leaves the church set for a damaging split with the threats of mass desertions to Rome and even foreign bishops taking charge of English parishes.

It came after a last-minute plea by the Bishop of Durham for the whole debate to be abandoned, and despite the Archbishops of Canterbury and York calling for tough safeguards to stop an exodus of Anglo-Catholics and evangelicals.

Bishop Venner, the deputy of Dr Rowan Williams who is himself in favour of women becoming bishops, said: "I have to say that for the first time in my life I am ashamed.

"We have talked for hours about wanting to give an honourable place for those who want to disagree and we have turned down almost every realistic opportunity for those who are opposed to flourish."

He said the church was just "talking the talk" of being inclusive and added: "Is this the Church of England at its best? I have to say I doubt it."

Earlier the Archbishop of Canterbury had spoken twice about the dramatic step Synod was taking by rejecting proposals to create new "men only" dioceses or "super bishops" which were desperately wanted by traditionalists.

The church's drafting group will now draw up legislation which will bring in women bishops, by 2014 at the earliest, with only an as yet unwritten statutory code of practice for opponents of the step.

Dr Williams warned: "A code of practice is not going to make it any easier. I think we are facing a very very difficult vote in which a motion [about a code of practice] will for many here mean an extremely hard choice about voting for the future of the Church of England."

Those who oppose women bishops say their views must still be taken into account, however, and pointed out that a two-thirds majority will be needed for the legislation to be agreed in two or three years' time.

The Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, said: "I have not witnessed the degree of generosity that I would expect there to be in the church. The structural possibilities did receive substantial support, so the legislation will have to take into account a substantial minority who won't be fobbed off with a code of practice."

Gerald O'Brien, a lay Synod member from Rochester, hinted that traditionalists may follow the example of conservative parishes in America which have moved to take leadership from traditionalists in Africa.

More than 1,000 clergy have already warned that they may leave the church if they do not receive the reassurances they want that their opposition to women bishops will be respected.
He said: "You cannot force people out of the Anglican Communion because there are a lot of archbishops elsewhere in the world who would be prepared to give support."

The Bishop of Winchester, Michael Scott-Joynt, said the decision had been "mean-spirited and short-sighted".

But Christina Rees, the chairman of pro-women bishop group Watch, insisted that the right decision had been made.

She said: "It's very good for the church, very good for woman and for the whole nation.
"There is absolutely respect [for opponents] and there will be adequate provisions."

The Synod had previously agreed that women should be allowed to become bishops, more than a decade after they first became priests in the Church of England.

A motion put before the council called for their introduction with a code of practice to respect the views of opponents.

By yesterday's debate 13 amendments had been put forward, many of which called for much tougher safeguards such as the creation of entirely new "men only" dioceses to look after those across the country who did not want to be led by a woman bishop, or a new class of "super bishop" to minister to traditionalists in their existing dioceses.

But one by one these proposals were voted out by the Synod despite their support from many senior bishops and both Archbishops.

As The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, suggested that power to guide parishes who do not want to be led by a woman could be transferred to one of three new "super bishops".

He said: "This option does, I believe, provide a clear and honoured place for those unable theologically to accept the ministry of women ordained to the priesthood and episcopate."

His amendment was supported by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who likened it to the situation in his large family, who were happy to make special new cooking pots to cater for one of his brothers who did not eat meat.

But despite winning an overall majority of votes it was defeated after a tied vote in the house of bishops, and a majority of those in the house of clergy voted against it.

Supporters of female bishops had claimed special provisions for traditionalists would be discriminatory and urged men and women to be treated the same.

Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, a Synod member from London, claimed any new dioceses would create "a ghetto of no-go areas" for women in England.

However an amendment to let women be introduced to the episcopate without even a code of practice was rejected.

Finally the original motion which will lead to women bishops being introduced with a code of practice, amended only by minor changes, was passed by all three parts of Synod – the houses of bishops, clergy and laity.