Women bishops measure passes intact

from The Lead by John B. Chilton

The BBC's summary begins:

The Church of England's ruling synod has decided that women bishops should be created. The synod has given minimal concessions to traditionalist Anglicans who opposed the move.

They had sought exemptions from serving under women bishops and guaranteed access to a male alternative. But the synod decided that it would be up to the women to decide the identity of any bishop coming into their dioceses. They would also have the ability to dictate the functions these bishops could carry out.

Thinking Anglicans has a round-up of other press coverage.

Our breaking coverage from this morning began here:

Updated continuously

The Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measureput forward by the Revision Committee is moving forward in the CoE General Synod. Thinking Anglicans has a post being updated as debate and voting proceeds: Clauses 1 through 10 have passed without amendment. Just one more clause to go.

Following consideration of Clause 10, a significant amendment was passed which dictates that any future amendment to this legislation must pass by two-thirds majority. That would seem to make it extremely unlikely that the delaying tactics that were being discussed by opponents of female bishops can succeed, as amendments like the one proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York would now need far more votes than can be garnered by simply electing a few more conservative members of synod next time around.

(While you wait for further developments, have a look at this morning's coverage in the British press. Some of it seems a trifle overheated from this distance, but perhaps we're just jealous that we don't live in a country where you can't get the phrase "rent asunder" into the newspaper.)

(Maggie Dawn has a bit of a blog round-up.)

Coverage continued: The legislation has passed largely unamended. A motion of recommital (i.e., send back to committee) failed: for102, against 293, and 12 absentions. The measure now goes to the dioceses for their consideration.