A medieval institution has finally taken a frightful step into the light of the modern world. After 20 years of bitter wrangling the general synod finally mustered the 2/3 majority of lay votes necessary to make the change.
Church of England General Synod approves female bishops Change of heart among lay members means first female bishop could be chosen as early as the end of this year
The Church of England has finally agreed that women may become bishops, ending 20 years of bitter compromises since women were allowed to become priests in 1994.
The synod had been threatened with parliamentary action if the measure had failed, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had prepared contingency plans to dissolve it and call fresh elections if the vote had gone the wrong way.
But the crisis was averted by a change of mind, and vote, among lay members. A previous attempt in 2012 failed when 74 lay members voted against, preventing the required two-thirds majority among the laity.
Those who changed their minds,included Tom Sutcliffe, who said the measure would now bring "episcopal femininity" that would enrich the church.
The conservative evangelical block, which holds that men must never be taught by women, was not entirely pacified by the promise that a male bishop would be appointed who shared their view that the "headship" of the church must be male. Their lay members voted consistently against, as they had done two years ago.
The Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Church of Canada are both members of the Anglican Communion along with the CofE. They have been far more progressive in their attitudes toward inclusiveness of women and LGBT members. The Anglican Communion was shaken to its foundations when The Episcopal Church consecrated Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in the entire communion. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, refused to invite him to the Lambeth Conference of all bishops.
The CofE as the established church is under the ultimate control of parliament. In practice parliament usually defers to the internal governing body of the general synod to manage church affairs, but the political patience was running out on the issue of women bishops and they were threatening to intervene.
It strikes me as somewhat ironic that the tradition minded English managed to get rid of fox hunting before giving women full standing as equal members of the church.