The Church of England is experiencing "much upheaval and
uncertainty", the archbishop of Canterbury has said as he announced the
appointment of two bishops who will provide spiritual and pastoral care
for Anglicans opposed to female clergy.
Dr Rowan Williams
said that the Rev Jonathan Baker, 44, and the Rev Norman Banks, 57,
were taking up a "very demanding pastoral ministry" and would need
prayers and friendship.
Provincial episcopal visitors – also known
as flying bishops – care for parishes and priests who do not accept
female clergy.
The previous flying bishops, Keith Newton and Andrew
Burnham, left the Church of England.
They were among the 900 who joined
the ordinariate, a Vatican initiative that allows Anglicans to convert
while keeping elements of their liturgical heritage.
Their
departures followed years of turbulence over what pastoral provision, if
any, there should be for those who do not believe women should be
ordained as bishops.
Mindful of the rows convulsing sections of
the church, Williams welcomed Baker and Banks, describing them as
"faithful and gifted".
He said: "They are taking up a very
demanding pastoral ministry at a time of much upheaval and uncertainty,
and will need our prayers and friendship as we work in the Church of
England for a future in which there is full mutual respect and
constructive work in mission to be undertaken together."
Groups
within the Church of England have been campaigning for female clerics to
become bishops without concessions that would undermine their
authority.
But traditionalists and conservative evangelicals
oppose the historic change, claiming the concept of women bishops runs
contrary to doctrine.
They have asked for extra dioceses or a male
bishop who does not ordain women – measures that have been refused by
the law-making body of the Church of England, the General Synod.
The appointment of Baker and Banks, however, gave traditionalists fresh optimism.
Forward
in Faith said it was particularly grateful the archbishop of Canterbury
had "demonstrated his confidence in a real future in the Church of
England for traditionalists".
The spokesman added: "Given their
respective ages, it is clear that these two appointments are in no way
intended to provide terminal care; rather, they can be seen as the
foundations of a permanent and equitable provision."
Statistics
published last year showed that only 2.8% of parishes – 363 out of
12,894 – have requested the ministry of a "flying bishop".