A MAJORITY of dioceses have now backed the draft legislation on women bishops, which means that it will now return to the General Synod for debate and a final-approval vote next year.
On Monday, Truro became the 29th of the 44 Church of England dioceses to vote in favour of the draft legislation, after yes votes by the dioceses of Carlisle, Blackburn, Norwich, Rochester, St Albans, Wakefield, and Winchester over the weekend.
Just two dioceses, Chichester and London, have voted against the proposals so far. The main motion, which all synods have to vote on by houses and without amendment, reads: “That this synod approves the proposals embodied in the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and ordination of women) Measure and in draft Amending Canon Number 30.”
This needs to be carried by both the houses of laity and clergy in the diocesan synod in order to be carried.
A following motion, put forward by the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), asks for further provision for opponents of women bishops, and for the House of Bishops to ensure that those unable to accept women bishops “receive episcopal oversight from a bishop with authority (i.e. ordinary jurisdiction) conferred by the Measure rather than by delegation from a diocesan bishop”.
A total of 25 out of the 31 dioceses that have voted have also rejected this following motion.
The Chichester vote was lost in the House of Clergy by five votes, and the House of Laity by four.
The vote in London was even tighter: the main motion fell in the House of Clergy by two votes.
Sally Barnes, from the campaigning group Women and the Church, said that it was pleased with the results, but remained cautious.
She recalled the introduction of the Act of Synod in 1993, and said she feared the creation of a “two-tier bishopric”.
At the Forward in Faith National Assembly last weekend, the CEEC following motion was supported; but delegates were also told of a motion effectively to reconsider the Archbishops’ amendment from July 2010, which, if passed by the Synod in February, might also encourage the Bishops to amend the draft Measure before it comes back for final approval.