John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham, is never normally afraid to voice his opinions, but yesterday he delivered a speech to his Anglo-Catholic colleagues that was excessive even by his standards. "The General Synod is presuming to change things as it wills, presuming to decide doctrine separate from the tradition, separate from scripture, separate from the universal brief and practice of the church. Sinful presumption, sinful."
Strong stuff.
"This is not a vote we've lost, this is sin."
If you're struggling to believe what you're reading, you can listen to it for yourself here.
As we've seen before - most recently when the Bishop of Dover broke down in tears at the July Synod - the issue of women bishops gets people from both sides of the argument particularly emotional.
If Bishop John sounds angry, it's because he is.
Desperate? Totally.
There may be many who might balk at the strength of his language, but it merely emphasises how much he - and many other traditionalists - care about the Church and fear being forced out if they are not given proper safeguards.
Where it becomes difficult is when you consider how female clergy will hear his words.
Sinful?
A vote allowing them parity with their male colleagues?
Whatever your stance on women's ordination it's a pretty indefensible claim.
And what does such a statement say about their ministry?
What's for sure is that the group drafting legislation to allow women bishops have an impossible task.
Campaigners for women bishops say they will not accept proposals that come at too high a price.
Traditionalists insist that they must be given their own jurisdiction.
There appears to be no compromise solution.
The vote in July appeared to have left the Anglo-Catholics and conservative evangelicals with an ultimatum - get used to the idea of women bishops or get out.
But the latest plans to retain "flying bishops", discussed by the bishops this week, has given them new hope.
Such a move would not be tolerated by women clergy. One woman has accused the Bishop of Willesden, Pete Broadbent, of "gender apartheid" in trying to defend the move.
The danger is that an argument that seemed to have been settled has been reopened.
And Bishop John clearly believes that there is still a fight to be won.
But was his speech a rallying-call rousing the troops to victory or a cry of desperation from a man that knows their time is up?
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Sotto Voce
(Source: TO)