Hundreds of years of Church of England tradition are set to be thrown aside under proposals to establish spiritual havens for opponents of women priests and bishops.In an attempt to avoid a damaging split over the ordination of women bishops, some prominent figures in the Anglican Communion have suggested the creation of new dioceses based on gender rather than geography.
The proposal – which would allow some parishes to avoid ordained women bishops in favour of male bishops hundreds of miles away – is intended to preserve the unity of the Anglican Communion amid intense anger among millions of conservative church members.
However, the idea could further alienate liberals in the Communion who insist there should be no compromise.
Critics have suggested the proposal, which aims to allow for the consecration of women bishops while taking into account a significant minority of opponents, would leave a Church “with large holes in the middle”.
The plans were published on Monday as church leaders braced themselves for a series of arguments at this summer’s ten-yearly Lambeth Conference in Canterbury of the Anglican Communion’s bishops from around the world.
Comments by Gene Robinson, the Church’s first openly gay bishop, in the London Times on Tuesday highlighted growing splits between the Church's conservative and liberal wings.
Bishop Robinson attended Lambeth after his “gay wedding”, despite the wishes of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
In his book, serialised in the London Times, Bishop Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire in the US, condemned what he described as “destructive, adolescent bullying” over the consecration of women and gays.
Proposals to establish new dioceses along "gender" lines were published by a group chaired by the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev Nigel McCulloch.
The report argues that those who support women’s ordination should accept that the “theological convictions of those unable to receive the ordained ministry of women are within the spectrum of Anglican teaching and tradition”.
On that basis, the paper argues, those who hold these views should be able to receive pastoral and sacramental care “in a way that is consistent with their convictions”, it says.
The report warns that consecrating women without safeguards for opponents “would trigger a period of uncertainty and turbulence within the Church of England”. Many priests and congregations would leave under such circumstance, the report insists.
“The Church of England that emerged at the end of the process might possibly be more cohesive; it would undoubtedly be less theologically diverse.”
Even though about half of those now in training for the priesthood are women, the opposition to them within the Church has barely shrunk.
Following the decision of the Anglican Communion to ordain women as priests in 1992, 470 men left the Anglican priesthood, with many joining the Catholic Church.
Even though about half of those now in training for the priesthood are women, the opposition to them within the Church has barely shrunk.
At present, those opposed to the idea of women priests remain in their original dioceses and are catered for by traditionalist “flying bishops”.
However, if their diocesan bishop were to be a woman, such opponents would find this unacceptable.
The report proposes ending that arrangement.
The extra-geographical dioceses idea is one of several proposals discussed, to avoid a similar split over the ordination of women bishops.
However, it raises questions over which cathedrals might serve the new dioceses, or whether new ones would be needed.
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