Church of England in new bid for women to be bishops
THE Church of England began a new attempt to introduce women bishops yesterday.
An original effort to promote women in the Church to bishop status was overturned amid much anger by traditionalists last year.
This time around members of the General Synod, meeting at York University, are to be asked to back plans, approved by bishops, which could see the first female bishops by 2015.
The new scheme would make allowances for those who oppose women bishops, but there would no longer be any dioceses where none of the serving bishops ordains women as priests.
However, traditionalists are still not happy with the plan as the proposal moves away from enshrining concessions to the opponents of women bishops in the legislation itself.
The House of Bishops proposals suggest the concessions should be in a separate declaration by the synod or by the bishops.
During the debate, traditionalists warned the synod they would be alienated from the Church unless safeguards were written into the law, but an attempt to do so was defeated.
Martin Dales, spokesman for the Catholic Group at the Synod, accused the bishops of rushing to solve the problem.