Reactions to Synod

A Church divided (Telegraph editorial)

The word "historic" is too freely bandied about; but it is an accurate description of the vote of the General Synod of the Church of England to allow women bishops. It marks a decisive break with the Church's Catholic roots, more so even than when it voted to ordain women priests in 1992, which led to the departure to Rome of many Anglo-Catholics.

The traditionalists who remained were protected by legal safeguards, allowing them to believe they remained a powerful voice in the Church. That pretence can no longer be sustained.

The Synod vote is an unequivocal, almost brutal, rejection of traditional Anglo-Catholicism and an embrace of a progressive approach to the full participation of women, who make up half of those in training for ordination. It will take years for the necessary legislation to be enacted and attempts will be made to assuage the concerns of those for whom women bishops remain an obstacle to full communion.

However, it is clear that the Church wants to move on, as indeed it should. The Archbishop of York made the point forcefully yesterday: given the deep-rooted problems in modern British society, there is an important pastoral role to play.

There are those who regard Monday's vote as a further slide into secularism and, indeed, the treatment of the Anglo-Catholics was harsh. But at least the outcome is clear.

Women bishops will be consecrated and there seems little point in establishing another legislative half-way house in which traditionalists can feel comfortable. Further equivocation and navel-gazing would be a disaster for the Church.

Now, the Lambeth Conference beckons and with it the prospect of schism over an equally divisive subject, that of homosexual clergy. That will be an even greater challenge for Dr Rowan Williams than the one he successfully negotiated at York.

Forward in Faith has two items:

General Synod Vote - Initial Reaction
Forward in Faith and the Catholic Group in General Synod note with regret that, despite the clear advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Durham, the Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop of Exeter and other Bishops, the Prolocutor of the Province of Canterbury and the Chairman of the House of Laity and the obvious lack of consensus, the General Synod today resolved to make no meaningful provision for those in conscience unable to receive the ministry of women bishops.

There must now be a period of prayerful reflection. However, members of both the General Synod and of the Church of England will understand that actions always have consequences.

General Synod vote - further reaction
The consistent behaviour of the General Synod compels Forward in Faith and the Catholic Group in General Synod to recognise that, without intervention by the House of Bishops, there is little prospect of gaining a synodical majority which would provide a structural solution that would meet the needs of those who, out of obedience to scripture and tradition, are unable in conscience to receive the ordination of women to the episcopate. We will in the coming days continue to explore all possible avenues which might secure our corporate ecclesial future and look to our bishops to facilitate this.

Vatican Regret at Anglican Vote to Ordain Female Bishops

The Vatican Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity issued a Statement Tuesday regarding recent events within the Anglican Communion.The Council is headed by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

The statement reads: “We have regretfully learned of the Church of England vote to pave the way for the introduction of legislation which will lead to the ordaining of women to the Episcopacy.The Catholic position on the issue was clearly expressed by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Such a decision signifies a breaking away from the apostolic tradition maintained by all of the Churches since the first millennium, and therefore is a further obstacle for the reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.This decision will have consequences on the future of dialogue, which had up until now born fruit, as Cardinal Kasper had clearly explained when he spoke on June 5 2006 to all of the bishops of the Church of England at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.The Cardinal has been invited once again to express the Catholic position at the next Lambeth Conference at the end of July”.

Anglican Church decision to consecrate women-bishops challenges Orthodox-Anglican dialogue - Bishop Hilarion

Monday decision of the Church of England General Synod to consecrate women bishops affects Orthodox-Anglican relations, the Russian Church has stated. "The so-called "women priesthood" is one of the stumbling blocks in the dialogue between Anglicans and Orthodox. "Women episcopacy" will become another one. It will set Anglican community aside of the Orthodox Church even more," head of the Russian Church representation to the European Institutions Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria told an Interfax-Religion correspondent.

According to Bishop Hilarion, the Russian Church interprets this step "as the Anglican community's next concession to the modern secular standards demanding to equal woman to man in every aspect.""Centuries-old tradition of Christian Church is denied for political correctness once again," the interviewee of the agency said. He reminded that the Orthodox Church has always disapproved of ordaining women practiced by the Anglican community "as such ordination contradicts original Church tradition ascending to apostles and Christ."

Bishop Hilarion is surprised that such a decision was adopted on the eve of the Lambeth Conference - a decennial meeting of Anglican bishops from all around the world to be held in London from July 19 to August 4."The conference has invited Orthodox observers and they will have a chance to express their opinion on the processes underway in the Anglican community," the bishop said as the Moscow Patriarchate has appointed him an observer to the Lambeth Conference. He wonders if "it makes sense for Orthodox observers to participate in a forum of the Church that takes decisions invariably contradicting Orthodox ecclesiology.""And to what extent bilateral Orthodox-Anglican is rational in such a situation. I suppose leaders of local Orthodox Churches should consider these questions seriously again," the Russian Church representative said.


A Message from the Chairman of Forward in Faith

The vote in General Synod on the proposal for Women Bishops will have been a real shock to many in our parishes. This is not the time for rapid decisions or knee-jerk reactions but rather a time calmly to take counsel together.

It was obvious in November 1992 that the Church of England had changed substantially for the worse. In the years that followed we have lived together with a real Gospel sense of purpose and they have been good years for us and our parishes. This week’s vote at General Synod came as a real shock to me, not because I expected to win but because I had not realised the depth of the uncharitable and unchristian attitudes held by the majority. It became absolutely obvious that, in spite of appeals from both Archbishops, the majority of so called liberals were determined to see us out. I have been quite impressed today that a liberal bishop and an archdeacon have both phoned me saying they shared our sense of shock. The Bishop of Dover, who is a supporter of women bishops, said in Synod: ‘for the first time in my life I feel ashamed’.

So what has changed apart from clarity about the nature of our opponents? I suspect not very much. As a priest and as a bishop, and as Chairman of Forward in Faith, I have always believed that the changing ecclesiology in the Church of England made collective demands on us. My conviction has always been that we have to seek a common ecclesial way forward. Our hope was that this would be established by the General Synod and though this now seems unlikely, it is still not an impossibility. I remain determined to find a way forward.

There has been speculation in the media about contact with Rome. I am strongly committed to Christian unity and, as many of you know, I was involved in the talks with the Roman Hierarchy in 1992 and later spent a considerable time with the then Cardinal Ratzinger in 1996. My problem then was that, although there was great generosity, there was no offer of an ecclesial reconciliation. In other words, our common Eucharistic and spiritual life was not recognised. That remains a problem for me. I am fascinated by the conversations between the Traditional Anglican Communion and Rome as well as those between some of our Bishops and the Holy See. Will these now offer a way forward?

Many of you have phoned me in the last twenty four hours, angry or distressed. Several have suggested that we should declare war on those who seek to destroy us. Particularly, the suggestion has been made that we stop paying Diocesan Quota. I am open on this matter but think that now is not quite yet the time for such drastic gestures, for whatever we do needs its timing to be agreed by us all so that we can act together. Be assured of my commitment to our common life and of my determination to continue to seek a common way forward in faith for all of us.

Every Blessing,
XJohn Fulham