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October 2009
WATCH
has prepared this briefing paper covering the Press Release from
the Revision Committee on 8 October and the Pope's statement and
invitation of 20 October. Please click here to download.
Please look at the final section on What Next, What WATCH is doing,
and What you can do.
The
current situation
Currently, whilst women can be ordained as priests, they are
specifically barred from the higher office of bishop. To change this
will require a two-thirds majority vote in all three houses of the
Church of England's General Synod, which must then be ratified by the
Houses of Parliament.
Simple legislation with guidelines
WATCH is campaigning for ‘simple legislation’ to remove
obstacles to the consecration of women bishops. That is, a legal
act with no caveats or conditions limiting the ministry of women
bishops or allowing those opposed to opt out of their jurisdiction.
Such a situation of caveats and conditions currently exists in relation
to women priests through the “Act of Synod”, an internal
Church of England law which allows parishes to opt out of being
ministered to by a woman, and to seek oversight from a bishop who
does not himself ordain women. WATCH proposes that instead of legislating
similar limits to women's episcopal ministry, simple legislation
for women bishops should be accompanied by a set of guidelines governing
how different views on the issue of women's ministry are to be accommodated
and respected within dioceses. The United States of America already
models this approach, where women bishops work closely with male
colleagues to appropriately minister to congregations who in conscience
cannot accept their episcopal role.
For
a full treatment of these issues, plus WATCH's proposals for how
women bishops should be introduced, please see:
WATCH Submission
to Legislative Drafting Group - March 2009
What next?
We are now in a period of waiting while the Revision Committee
meet to decide on the legislation to be brought before the General
Synod in its February 2010 session. Please see our News
page for
more details.
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