Church of England faces crisis as Synod rejects concession on women bishops
0 views
Skip to first unread message
Pastor Dale Morgan
Jul 10, 2010, 6:42:53 PM7/10/10
to Bible-Pro...@googlegroups.com
Perilous Times
Church of England faces crisis as Synod rejects concession on women bishops
New concessions to Anglican traditionalists, proposed by Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, rejected by clergy
* Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 10 July 2010 21.06 BST
John Sentamu, Bishop of York The amendment from Rowan Williams and John Sentamu (above) would have given traditionalists the protection they wanted from female ministry. Photograph: Lind Nylind
The Church of England was facing a fresh crisis tonight after the archbishops of Canterbury and York failed to win enough support for a compromise over women bishops at the Church's General Synod.
New concessions to traditionalists in the church, proposed by Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, were rejected by the Anglican clergy, although most bishops and laity at the Synod voted in favour. In dramatic scenes at York, shocked members of the Synod pleaded for time to pray and reflect on the vote and to consider the implications of the rebellion against the two most senior figures in the church.
Fr Jonathan Baker said: "The archbishop of Canterbury said it was not a loyalty test, but we're now in a remarkable position in terms of this business and in terms of our relationship with our bishops and archbishops. We need a serious moment and pause for reflection and prayer."
But calls to suspend the normal debating and voting process were rejected. Several dozen traditionalists, unhappy at the decision, walked out regardless.
The archbishops' amendment would have given traditionalists the protection they wanted from female ministry, averting a schism over the ordination of women as bishops. Sentamu and Williams had proposed a special class of bishop to look after parishes who do not wish to have female bishops. The idea angered supporters of women clergy, who wrote to ask the archbishops to withdraw the amendment.
Had the amendment been passed, it might have minimised the numbers of clergy converting to Roman Catholicism under an initiative launched by the Vatican last year. A meeting was held in Leicester for those Church of England clergy interested in taking up the Catholic offer.
Within an hour of the vote against the compromise, there was a press statement from the Catholic Group in General Synod, which was unequivocal in its disappointment. "We deeply regret the General Synod has decided to ignore the leadership of the chief pastors of the Church of England, archbishops of Canterbury and York. In total, 216 people voted in favour and 191 against with nine abstentions – so there was support [for the amendment].
"By rejecting the opportunity for unity the amendment would have achieved, it has made it very difficult for those who in conscience cannot accept the ministry for women priests and bishops."
For more than two hours, Synod members expressed their support for or opposition to the amendment. Those who spoke against it voiced their reluctance at having to vote against the archbishops. There was initially silence as the count was read out.
It may now be an impossible task for Williams and Sentamu to rescue their moral authority and preserve church unity over the issue. Earlier in the day, Sentamu had launched a spirited defence of his Canterbury colleague, calling for an end to "misleading opinions paraded as fact regarding a remarkable, gifted and much-maligned leader Christian I call a dear friend".
Sentamu's intervention followed a week of febrile speculation regarding Williams's role in the rejection of a popular gay cleric's bid to become the next bishop of Southwark.
News of Dr Jeffrey John's candidacy for the bishopric was leaked last week, provoking an immediate row between traditionalists and liberals in the church. John, who was forced to withdraw his acceptance of a bishopric in 2003 because of his sexuality, did not make the shortlist. Williams was accused of weakness by critics for failing to support John's candidacy.
Sentamu criticised the prevalence of "spin, propaganda and the resort to misleading opinions paraded as fact regarding a remarkable, gifted and much-maligned leading Christian I call a dear friend and trusted colleague - one Rowan Williams". He told the 480-strong Synod: "I say, enough is enough. May we all possess a high regard for truth."
Church of England faces crisis as Synod rejects concession on women bishops
New concessions to Anglican traditionalists, proposed by Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, rejected by clergy
* Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 10 July 2010 21.06 BST
John Sentamu, Bishop of York The amendment from Rowan Williams and John Sentamu (above) would have given traditionalists the protection they wanted from female ministry. Photograph: Lind Nylind
The Church of England was facing a fresh crisis tonight after the archbishops of Canterbury and York failed to win enough support for a compromise over women bishops at the Church's General Synod.
New concessions to traditionalists in the church, proposed by Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, were rejected by the Anglican clergy, although most bishops and laity at the Synod voted in favour. In dramatic scenes at York, shocked members of the Synod pleaded for time to pray and reflect on the vote and to consider the implications of the rebellion against the two most senior figures in the church.
Fr Jonathan Baker said: "The archbishop of Canterbury said it was not a loyalty test, but we're now in a remarkable position in terms of this business and in terms of our relationship with our bishops and archbishops. We need a serious moment and pause for reflection and prayer."
But calls to suspend the normal debating and voting process were rejected. Several dozen traditionalists, unhappy at the decision, walked out regardless.
The archbishops' amendment would have given traditionalists the protection they wanted from female ministry, averting a schism over the ordination of women as bishops. Sentamu and Williams had proposed a special class of bishop to look after parishes who do not wish to have female bishops. The idea angered supporters of women clergy, who wrote to ask the archbishops to withdraw the amendment.
Had the amendment been passed, it might have minimised the numbers of clergy converting to Roman Catholicism under an initiative launched by the Vatican last year. A meeting was held in Leicester for those Church of England clergy interested in taking up the Catholic offer.
Within an hour of the vote against the compromise, there was a press statement from the Catholic Group in General Synod, which was unequivocal in its disappointment. "We deeply regret the General Synod has decided to ignore the leadership of the chief pastors of the Church of England, archbishops of Canterbury and York. In total, 216 people voted in favour and 191 against with nine abstentions – so there was support [for the amendment].
"By rejecting the opportunity for unity the amendment would have achieved, it has made it very difficult for those who in conscience cannot accept the ministry for women priests and bishops."
For more than two hours, Synod members expressed their support for or opposition to the amendment. Those who spoke against it voiced their reluctance at having to vote against the archbishops. There was initially silence as the count was read out.
It may now be an impossible task for Williams and Sentamu to rescue their moral authority and preserve church unity over the issue. Earlier in the day, Sentamu had launched a spirited defence of his Canterbury colleague, calling for an end to "misleading opinions paraded as fact regarding a remarkable, gifted and much-maligned leader Christian I call a dear friend".
Sentamu's intervention followed a week of febrile speculation regarding Williams's role in the rejection of a popular gay cleric's bid to become the next bishop of Southwark.
News of Dr Jeffrey John's candidacy for the bishopric was leaked last week, provoking an immediate row between traditionalists and liberals in the church. John, who was forced to withdraw his acceptance of a bishopric in 2003 because of his sexuality, did not make the shortlist. Williams was accused of weakness by critics for failing to support John's candidacy.
Sentamu criticised the prevalence of "spin, propaganda and the resort to misleading opinions paraded as fact regarding a remarkable, gifted and much-maligned leading Christian I call a dear friend and trusted colleague - one Rowan Williams". He told the 480-strong Synod: "I say, enough is enough. May we all possess a high regard for truth."
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages