The Church of England may vote to
consecrate its first women bishops as soon as 2014, a panel
appointed to draft the necessary legislation said.
The group of 15 members of the church’s governing Synod,
including five who voted against women bishops in November last
year, have drawn up safeguards to address the concerns of people
from the catholic and evangelical wings of the church who oppose
the change, which has been under discussion for 38 years.
“This is the first time such a complete package has been
agreed by a group with such a wide range of views,” Synod
Secretary General William Fittall told reporters in London. “We are at the beginning of a new and hopeful phase, and
if these proposals command general consent there’s potential to
create new momentum.”
Bishops and clergy voted for the change at the Synod in
November, while lay Anglicans failed by six votes to give it the
required two-thirds majority.
A code of practice to cater for
parishes that object to women bishops on theological grounds did
not go far enough to prevent further conflict, opponents said in
the debate that preceded that vote.
The latest proposal includes a revised code of practice and
the appointment of an independent reviewer to resolve disputes
where parishes want to opt out of being under a woman bishop.
Fittall said it’s important the process is taken “a step
at a time” to ensure as many people as possible in the 467-member Synod back it. He contrasted the negotiations with his
involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process and talks with
prison officers when he worked as a U.K. civil servant.
“In those situations you knew who you were dealing with,”
he said. “In the Synod there are groupings and networks but we
don’t have a party system with whips” as in Parliament.
If the proposals successfully pass through the House of
Bishops in December and Synod in February they could then be
referred to dioceses “potentially paving the way for final
approval during 2014,” the committee said in its report.