Women and the Church

Transparency | Accountability | Justice

Let’s say no to a Bishop of London who does not ordain women

The Diocese of London is soon to appoint a new bishop. It has just issued a Statement of Needs, setting out what sort of bishop is required. It does not specify that the new bishop must be in favour of women's ordination.

We are concerned by this omission. We do not want a bishop who does not ordain women as priests or recognise the spiritual authority of female bishops – including the Archbishop of Canterbury! Such a bishop would be a sign of division rather than unity. We would not accept his authority.

We also call for a change in the Church’s rules, so as to preclude the possibility of such an appointment. We seek the amendment of the 2014 Declaration and the Five Guiding Principles to ensure that no opponent of women’s ordination is ever again appointed to a diocese. It is too glaringly contrary to episcopal order and Church unity, that a diocesan bishop can oversee clergy whose authority he denies. We demand a vote in Synod on the issue.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE AND SHARE WITH OTHERS

WATCH are campaigning for the simple principle that women and men should be treated equally in the Church of England, our national church.

Did you know that our national Church discriminates against women, limiting female leadership at every level of the organisation?

Churches can

say ‘no’ to female priests applying to be their vicars;
say ‘no’ to female priests blessing the bread and wine in services;
have a special male bishop if their bishop is female or is a man who has ordained women as priests.

There is no requirement for churches to be transparent about these things, so often people attend churches, and support them financially for many years, without knowing that they are churches that discriminate against women.

Many large inner-city churches, such as All Souls, Langham Place and St Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate in London, Christ Church in Cambridge, and St Ebbe’s in Oxford, do not allow a woman to be their vicar.

Women and the Church (WATCH) is a national organisation working actively to promote equality for women in the Church of England and lift the lid on sexism and discrimination.

At WATCH, we believe that God is calling the Church of England to be a church where all people are treated equally. Women are half the population and two thirds of our congregations and yet women are still being discriminated against because of their sex.