LONDON: Church of England on Brink of Letting Women Serve as Bishops
One major hurdle stands in the way to changing centuries of church practice
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 29, 2014
The Church of England’s governing body - General Synod - voted in February to send draft legislation allowing female bishops in its 44 dioceses. This past Friday the church voted all in favor with Manchester, the last to do so, deciding Thursday.
The Church of England has grappled for years with whether to admit women to the episcopacy. The legislation will now go back to the Synod in July for a final vote.
The issue of the ordination of women to the episcopacy has long divided the Anglican Communion with significant numbers of Anglican provinces in the Global South not ordaining women to the episcopacy let alone the priesthood. The Province of Nigeria, the largest province in the Anglican Communion with 20 million adherents does not ordain women to the priesthood. The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian denomination in the world with some 77 million adherents.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
One major hurdle stands in the way to changing centuries of church practice
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 29, 2014
The Church of England’s governing body - General Synod - voted in February to send draft legislation allowing female bishops in its 44 dioceses. This past Friday the church voted all in favor with Manchester, the last to do so, deciding Thursday.
The Church of England has grappled for years with whether to admit women to the episcopacy. The legislation will now go back to the Synod in July for a final vote.
The issue of the ordination of women to the episcopacy has long divided the Anglican Communion with significant numbers of Anglican provinces in the Global South not ordaining women to the episcopacy let alone the priesthood. The Province of Nigeria, the largest province in the Anglican Communion with 20 million adherents does not ordain women to the priesthood. The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian denomination in the world with some 77 million adherents.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
