Saturday, July 05, 2008

Tension mounts as women-bishop vote approaches

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=59196

[Church Times] 5 Jul 2008--Supporters and opponents of women bishops in the Church of England confronted each other in the media this week, as the General Synod prepared for its marathon debate in York.

But strong hints that hundreds of clergy might leave the Church unless they were guaranteed legal safeguards were made this week — and dismissed by those in favour of change.

At a press conference on Monday organised by Women and the Church (Watch), the Dean of Southwark, the Very Revd Colin Slee, said that if priests opposed to women were going to leave, they would have left already. “They have had 14 years to decide.” The threat was “scaremongering”, he said.

Canon Lucy Winkett, Precentor of St Paul’s Cathedral, told the press conference that women bishops were “logically inevitable”. Supporters were prepared to concede a code of conduct that would help the objectors. But, she said: “We are drawing the line at legislative provision. . . We would rather wait than go forward with legislative provision for those who cannot in conscience accept their leadership.”

Christina Rees, chair of National Watch, who chaired the meeting, said she would consider not voting for the legislation if it included legal provision for the objectors. Ruth McCurry, a member of the Group for Rescinding the Act of Synod, said it was time that bishops showed they were trustworthy by administering the proposed code of conduct fairly. People should trust their bishops, she said, a sentiment echoed by Mrs Rees when she appeared with the Rt Revd Martyn Jarrett, the Bishop of Beverley, on BBC Radio 2 next day.

Bishop Jarrett was one of 11 serving bishops and 1333 clergy who signed a letter to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, published on Monday. The letter pleads for legal protection for the objectors. If the Synod decided to go ahead “without at the same time making provision which offers us real ecclesiastical integrity and security, many of us will be thinking very hard about the way ahead”.

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