Leaders in the Church of England have reiterated their determination to move forward with women bishops.
The House of Bishops met this week at Lambeth Palace, the official
residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to consider the implications
of last month's defeat in the General Synod of legislation to admit
women to the episcopate.
In a statement, the House expressed its "ongoing gratitude" for the
ministy of ordained women in the Church of England, as well as sadness
that the events of last month "left so many feeling undermined and
undervalued".
"Effective response to this situation is a priority on which all are strongly agreed," the bishops said.
"The House acknowledged the profound and widespread sense of anger,
grief, and disappointment felt by so many in the Church of England and
beyond, and agreed that the present situation was unsustainable for all,
whatever their convictions."
Discussions were joined by the Very Reverend Viv Faull, the Venerable
Christine Hardman, Dr Paula Gooder, and Mrs Margaret Swinson, who had
all previously served on the Steering Committee or Revision Committee
for the legislation.
The House of Bishops will be working on fresh proposals to put before the General Synod at its next meeting in July.
An event to take place early in the new year will share with a larger
number of lay and ordained women questions about the culture of the
House’s processes and discussions, and how women might more regularly
contribute.
The House of Bishops has also set up a working group drawn from all
three houses of Synod to avoid further delay in preparing the new
legislative proposals. The make-up of the working group will be decided
by the Archbishops and announced before Christmas.
The working group will arrange facilitated discussions to take place
next February, which will then be followed up with an additional meeting
of the House of Bishops. Details of the new legislative package are to
be finalised in May.
The House of Bishops said it would be working to formulate proposals
with a "greater simplicity" in order to give them the greatest possible
chance of achieving assent.
In its conclusions, the House endorsed the view of the Archbishops’
Council that the “Church of England now has to resolve this issue
through its own processes as a matter of great urgency”.