THE P RTAL
April 2014
News from
the C of E
UK Page 4
Anglican
News
from The Revd Paul Benfield
The proposals
to change the law to allow women to be ordained to the episcopate have now
been sent out by the General Synod to the diocesan synods. Unusually, the standing orders were altered
(which required a 75% majority of synod members to agree) to allow this reference to the dioceses to take
less than the usual six months.
This was because the Draft Measure and Canon
are quite simple (and that is all that dioceses have to
approve) and because dioceses have relatively recently
considered the question of women in the episcopate.
meeting. When a resolution is passed there will be
consultation between the parish and bishop so that the
nature of the theological conviction can be ascertained
and appropriate provision be made.
For a catholic parish this would mean that no woman
priest or a male priest who had been ordained by a
woman would be acceptable and, as far as episcopal
ministry in the parish is concerned, no woman bishop
or male bishop consecrated by a woman bishop would
If approved by the necessary two thirds majorities be acceptable.
in each of the three houses of bishops, clergy and
If a dispute arises about the appropriate provision –
laity the Draft Measure will then pass to Parliament.
It is anticipated that the Ecclesiastical Committee either of a priest to serve as incumbent or curate in
and both the Lords and the Commons will expedite the parish or of the bishop to carry out sacramental
consideration so that the Measure can receive Royal provision in the parish – then the matter can be
Assent and so become law in time for the necessary referred to an independent reviewer whose office and
canon to be promulged by Synod in November 2014 functions will be governed by regulations made under
canon law.
or February 2015.
Assuming that the majority of diocesan synods agree
to the proposals – which need only a simple majority –
then General Synod will consider final approval of the
legislation at its July meeting in York.
The complex package of proposals consists of a
Measure and Canon, a Disputes
Resolution Procedure and a
House of Bishops Declaration.
The PCC of a parish will be
able to pass a resolution that
it requests, on grounds of
theological conviction, that
arrangements be made for it
in accordance with the House
of Bishops’ Declaration on the
Ministry of Bishops and Priests.
The resolution must be passed
by either (a) by a majority of
those present at a meeting at
which at least two-thirds of the
members of the PCC who are
entitled to attend are present
or (b) by a majority of all the
members of the PCC, whether
or not they are present at the
Although the package is far less than what the
Catholic Group on Synod have
been arguing for over many years,
the proposals are a strengthening
of the current provisions under
the Act of Synod, which we have
made work for twenty years.
The Act of Synod has no
legal force and no means
of being enforced, whereas
the new proposals have the
disputes resolution procedure.
Furthermore, the Act of Synod
could have been revoked by a
simple majority of General Synod,
whereas all the documents of the
new procedures are enshrined
in such a way that they cannot
be altered except by a two-thirds
majority of all three houses of the
General Synod.