Anglican leadership will force acceptance of women bishops, sources report
July 10, 2014
Free eBook:
|
| Free eBook: Liturgical Year 2023-2024, Vol. 4 |
Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury plans to force acceptance of female bishops even if the General Synod of the Church of England again votes down the proposal, according to a report in The Guardian.
The drive for acceptance of female bishops has strained the bonds of the Anglican communion, and a determined bloc within the Synod has opposed the measure. But if a new vote produces the same result, the leaders of the Church of England plan to find a way to work around the Synod.
The Guardian, in a clearly slanted report on the plans, argues that the Synod gives undue weight to "the old and the fanatical" and especially to "conservative evangelicals who believe the Bible forbids women to exercise authority over men."
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: geoffreysmith1 -
Jul. 11, 2014 7:26 AM ET USA
Welby needn't bother. Just one more generation and the Church of England will be history.
-
Posted by: Defender -
Jul. 10, 2014 9:28 PM ET USA
The Church of England already has homosexual clergy, so this seems a natural continuation. They continue to seal their fate: there can be no reunification, unless the Catholic Church follows suit. Perhaps those CINOs (including clergy) who want this will now jump ship.
-
Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Jul. 10, 2014 1:47 PM ET USA
In the Catholic Church the criterion for elevation to bishop is Orders. For well-founded, definitive, and irreformable reasons, only men are eligible. I suppose that the Anglican Communion will follow the other Protestant ecclesial communities in ordaining women to the episcopate, and why should they not? They broke episcopal succession centuries ago by invalid ordinations to the episcopate (see Apostolicae Curae). Since they do not serve in persona Christi, the women do not commit sacrilege.
