Vote against women bishops would be ‘catastrophic’ for Church of England, religious leaders argue
JONATHAN BROWN
Saint Paul was well known for changing his mind. The apostle, whose declaration that a woman should not usurp the authority of man has formed one of the scriptural pillars of traditional opposition to female bishops, underwent a celebrated conversion on the way to Damascus.
Its rapidity stands in stark contrast to the Church of England. Having first discussed the issue nearly a century ago, Anglicans have been progressing at a much more leisurely pace in coming to a fresh position on equality in the episcopate. A decade ago the idea was agreed in principle – although attempts to cement the change church law ended in heartbreak for supporters in November 2012, when it was defeated by just six votes.
On Monday in the Central Hall of the University of York, the Synod of the Church of England is expected – finally – to give the go ahead to the measure.
The Speaker’s Chaplain, the Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who has been widely tipped to be the first woman bishop, was not alone in declaring the prospect of equality as a “miracle” although she warned that it was far from a foregone conclusion.
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