catholic voices: women in the episcopate
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7/30/2019 Catholic Voices: Women in the Episcopate
1/10December 23, 2012 THE LIVING CHURCH 25
By Prudence Dailey
The compact geography of Englandmeans that our General Synod isable to meet much more frequently
twice or occasionally three times ayear than on the other side of the
Atlantic. The advantages of this
arrangement include the opportunity
to work towards important decisions
through several stages of deliberation,
and the opportunity for members, who
are elected for five-year terms, actually
to get to know each other personally,
and to establish relationships across
diverse backgrounds and positions.
This, in turn, ought to lead at least
in theory to greater mutual respect.It should also be noted that, for certain
types of business, a two-thirds major-
ity in all three Houses (bishops, clergy,
and laity) is required for the legislation
to pass at the final stage, although only
simple majorities are required up to
that point.
Twenty years ago, when the Church
of Englands General Synod approved
a measureto ordain women as priests,
assurances were given to those who in
conscience could not accept this
development that they would continue
to have an honoured placewithin the
church, and that their integritywould
be respected. An Act of Synod was
passed to make arrangements for
them, including the provision of
Provincial Episcopal Visitors (flying
bishops). Indeed, it is widely accepted
that this measure could not have
achieved the necessary two-thirds
majority in all three Houses without
such provisions.
In the initial stages of the discus-
sion, once the General Synod had
approved in principle that women
should be bishops, many who opposed
this decision recognized that the
consecration of women to the epis-
copate was inevitable, and those
backing the change said that it
should be brought about in a way
which enabled everyone to remain
in the Church of England in good
conscience. There was much talk of
squaring the circle, and a number
of contributors spoke of their desire
to avoid becoming like the Episcopal
Church, with deep divisions and
warring factions, and attempts to
subdue a minority through the raw
exercise of power. The general mood
was one of optimism: those who
could not accept women as bishops
believed that there was a genuine
desire to accommodate them, and
that a way would be found (just as it
had been in 1992) for those with
divergent convictions on the matter
to live together in relative harmony.
In 2006, the Synod voted over-
whelmingly to take note of a report
which included proposals for Trans-
ferred Episcopal Authority. But at the
following House of Bishops meeting,
senior women made representations
that they would not be prepared to
be bishops under such arrangements,
so they were dropped. Various alter-
native proposals for accommodation
were put forward by traditional
Anglo-Catholics and conservative
evangelicals, still confident at that
stage that something suitable would
emerge.
During an emotional debate in July
2008, however, every one of those
proposals was in turn rejected by the
Synod in favour of a simple Code of
Practice, as supporters of women
bishops expressed fears that the
proposals for greater accommodation,
enshrined in legislation, would result
in women becoming second-class
bishops, and assured the Synod that
legislative provision should not be
required if only we would all trust the
bishops.
The Rt. Rev. Stephen Venner, then
Bishop of Dover, a supporter of
women as bishops, and generally
How Did We Get Here from There?
CATHOLICVOICES
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regarded as a liberal, was in tears as
he said that
for the first time in my life I feel
ashamed. We have talked for hours
about wanting to give an honourableplace to those who disagree; we have
been given opportunities for both
views to flourish; we have turned down
almost every realistic opportunity for
the views of those who are opposed to
flourish; and we still talk the talk of
being inclusive and generous.
Both archbishops were clearly
dismayed; at the end of the debate, the
Archbishop of Canterbury abstained
on the motion to proceed to the next
stage.
In July 2010, the archbishops
attempted to salvage the situation by
bringing forward an amendment to
introduce coordinate jurisdiction.
Whilst an overall majority of Synod
members supported the amendment,
it fell in the House of Clergy by just
five votes.
It is worth noting that at no stage
of the proceedings has there been a
two-thirds majority in the House of
Laity in favour of the proposals. After
traditionalists repeatedly told the
Synod that the proposed Code of
Practice simply was not an adequate
response to the substance of their
theological objections to women
bishops, it should have come as no
surprise that the legislation was
defeated. Advocates of women
bishops should have realised that,
much as they might have wished it
otherwise, the Synodical process did
what it was designed to do: ensurethat major changes cannot be made
without consensus, and that the
majority cannot exercise tyranny
over a substantial minority.
Instead, those of us who in good
conscience voted against the measure
have been collectively subjected to
an outpouring of vitriol, bile, mis -
representation, and contempt, inclu-
ding (I am sorry to say) in some cases
from other members of General Synod,
through the media and social net-
(Continued from previous page)
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3/10
I was excited to see Looking
Toward Luther 2017 [TLC, Oct. 7],
but I was surprised to see that it
was, like many articles in TLC, writ-ten from the Catholic perspective.
Martin Luthers theology, especially
justification by faith and its theo-
logical underpinnings, imbues much
of the Thirty-nine Articles. William
Tyndale translated Luthers work
and brought it to England, which
helped kick-start the Reformation.
Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley were
all directly influenced by the great
German Reformer.
I hope we can also recover theProtestant Face of Anglicanism
(see Paul Zahls book) and not just
the Catholic one, especially when
speaking of Luther.
The Rev. Alex Large
Assistant rector
All Saints Church
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Christopher Wells replies:
Thanks to Brother Large for
his kindly encouragementand intercession on behalf
of Martin and his legacy
within Anglicanism some-
thing indeed worth recalling
and celebrating. TLC frequently
publishes articles on evan-
gelical aspects of our tradi-
tion (so, e.g., the winning
essay on Charles Simeon in
our education issue [TLC,
Aug. 12]), in the conviction
that Christian truth, wher-ever it may be, tends toward
visible unity. The very Catholic
Martin Luther taught noth-
ing less, and was no doubt
blessing the Holy Father as
he undertook his summers
study of the great German
Reformer. May the Church
produce many more such
evangelical popes!
Ready to HelpIt was with great interest that I read
the editorial (A Lenten Opportu-
nity) [TLC, Dec. 2]. Im a Roman
Catholic theologian, but one with
great respect and affection for the
Anglican Communion and the Epis-
copal Church. I grieve over the pain
being experienced and expressed by
so many at this time as I watch from
the fond margins all of the develop-ments in your communion.
The editorial was particularly
hopeful and very comforting. I share
your hope that the South Carolinian
proceedings be placed on hold
by all parties for a season of unspec-
ified duration, leaving a space for
the Spirit of truth and reconcilia-
tion.
The idea of ecclesiological sum-
mit-cum-retreat in Lent is a good
one. I pray the leaders you havechallenged will take the idea to
heart.
And, if a well-intentioned, warm-
hearted Roman theologian is needed
to serve in any capacity (observer or
referee), please put my name into
the hat for consideration.
John B. Switzer
Associate Professor of Theology
Spring Hill College
Mobile, Alabama
LETTERSworks. Suddenly, there are cries that
the House of Laity is unrepresen-
tative of the laity at large, that the
system is broken, and even that
Parliament should intervene to im-
pose women bishops on the church.
Opponents of the measure are told
that we have damaged the Church of
England; we are caricatured as
extremists and worse. We are
threatened with a single-clause
measure next time around, without
even a Code of Practice to provide
for those who cannot accept women
as bishops. If ever there was a
question whether legislative provision
was really necessary whether what
was required was, after all, just more
generous mutual trust such an aspir -
ation seems hopelessly nave now.
Prudence Dailey is chairman of the
Prayer Book Society in England and,
since 2000, a member of the General
Synod of the Church of England.
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More Reformers, Please
December 23, 2012 THE LIVING CHURCH 27
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By Mark Chapman
Prudence Dailey helpfully explains some of the
underlying issues [TLC, Dec. 23] regarding
General Synods legislation on women in the
episcopate. Although I voted in favour of the legis-
lation, I was quite aware that there were many who
simply did not trust the bishops to provide for
those loyal Anglicans who remained opposed to the
ordination of women as bishops. After the vote, I
did not myself blame the laity or the system. What
was being voted on was not simply the principle of
women as bishops, but the safeguards offered to
those opposed to womens ministry.
The basic idea was that women should have the
same legal authority as any other bishop, but thatpastoral care and liturgical acts would be delegated
to men. This carefully crafted compromise was pre-
sented for discussion at General Synod in July 2010
and, as Dailey has described, the passage through
Synod was far from plain sailing. What happened
then was quite without precedent: the archbishops
of Canterbury and York introduced an amendment
that would have created two sets of bishops, and
which had the support of the majority of bishops.
As I read the situation, the rejection of this amend-
ment by the Synod spelt the end of the credibility of
the House of Bishops. The archbishops did not seem
to realise that a blatant refusal to listen to the for-
mal mechanisms of Synod would be disastrous for
efforts at building the sort of trust needed to move
the measure through the legislative process.
The archbishops assumed that a circle could be
squared and everybody could be satisfied in some
sort of woolly Anglican comprehensiveness. I think
they were fundamentally wrong: synods, like parlia-
ments, are a way of institutionalising conflict. They
are not about consensus-building, but are far more
about allowing people to live with divisions without
resorting to violence or schism. And in the church,
just as in politics, the question of legitimacy is cen-
tral. For synods to work they need to be seen as legit-
imate; their authority and power needs to be
accepted by the churches they seek to govern. Butthis trust and sense of legitimacy has broken down.
In the new General Synod, to which I was electedand which first met in November 2010, it was clearthat there was a poisonous relationship between the
House of Bishops and the other two Houses. For
instance, in what should have been a straightforward
piece of rubber-stamping, at the prompting of Miss
Dailey herself in alliance with a member of the House
of Clergy, the Synod rejected a bishop, who was suf-
fragan to the Archbishop of Canterbury, as chairman of
the business committee: Synod was clearly rebelling
Let Synod Work FreelyCATHOLIC VOICES
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against its bishops. In the subsequent months the
Anglican Communion Covenant, which was supposed
to offer a mechanism for conflict resolution among the
worldwide churches, was firmly rejected in the dioce-
ses, notwithstanding the support of most of the bish-
ops, especially the Archbishop of Canterbury.
What was clear in the runup to the Synod and inthe debate itself was that the significant minority
who did not support women as bishops together with
their sympathisers did not have sufficient trust that
those responsible for the provisions the bishops
would make them work unless they were forced
to by law. A rational observer might find little sub-
stance to their arguments, but it was not a question
of reason so much as politics. The bishops had
failed to trust the mechanisms of Synod, so why
should they be trusted now? For those conserva-
tives who are likely to be suspicious of bishops
anyway, and who certainly feel threatened by whatthey regard as the dominant liberalism of the
church, it meant little that the bishops rallied
behind the measure in November. The damage had
already been done in July 2010. One should not
blame the House of Laity for the contempt for
Synod shown by the House of Bishops, and one
should not blame the laity for rejecting the measure.
Synods can work, but they have to be trusted.
Autocracy, however divinely established, is not a
good way of gaining friends and influencing people,
especially when they are the ones who are paying
their dues. The bishops like the government
have an honoured place in the process, but theirrespect and their trust has to be won through coop-
eration and engagement. Chastened bishops need to
remember that in an established church it is to the
House of Laity that most of the old royal powers have
been delegated. If they work with synod then the
Church of England might have the leaders it so richly
deserves, men and women. That will be the task for
Justin Welby as he takes the helm of the church in the
new year: one can hope that he will be a politician.
That means recognising that conflict is the normal
state of the church, and that sometimes a consensus
will be impossible.
The Rev. Mark Chapman is vice principal of Ripon
College, Cuddesdon, and reader in modern theology
in the University of Oxford. His books include Angli-
canism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2006)
andAnglican Theology (T&T Clark, 2012).
2011 The Episcopal Church Foundation
For leadership or development resources,
call 800-697-2858 or visit us online at
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Empowering.ECF provides the tools
congregations need to succeed.
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By Andrew Goddard
When I met a bishop last week one of his first
questions was how my wife a parish
priest in London was after the vote. I
answered honestly that although disappointed she
thought she must be rather odd.She did not feel as dis-
traught or angry or undermined as it appeared many
supporters of women bishops did, certainly those
reported in the media. Of course, I explained, that
reaction was not unconnected with the fact that her
conversations with fellow evangelicals meant she was
not totally surprised by the result and the day after the
vote she visited her father a retired conservative
evangelical clergyman and a role model for her own
ministry who now feels more confident that he
will be able to remain in the Church of England for at
least a few more years. As Prudence Dailey points
out (TLC, Dec. 23), it would have been good if such
deep bonds of affection were more widely present
across this divide. The fallout in the last few weekshas, however, shown us as Rowan Williams fre-
quently said it would during debates what sort of
church we are. Much of that revelation has not been
a pretty sight.
Prudence clearly explains how it looks from her per-
spective as an opponent of women bishops and some-
one who voted against the enabling measure. Although
I would not dispute what she says, and her critique of
why the provision ended up as it did needs to be heard
and taken on board, what she does not say is also
important. In particular, when diocesan synods were
asked their views on the proposed measure (then with
even less provision than was present in the final
amended text of the legislation) they overwhelmingly
voted in favour with only two dioceses voting against.
While a significant minority remained opposed, this
was only 23 percent among clergy and laity. Exactly
the same percentage of clergy voted against in the
General Synod but an astonishing 38percent of the lay
diocesan representatives voted against. Questions
about how representative the vote was are thereforevalid. The sad fact is that this question now threatens
to dominate the lay elections to the next General
Synod. The real danger is that the pendulum may
swing the other way with a concerted effort to replace
opponents with those most supportive of women bish-
ops, which could lead to another unrepresentative body.
The other danger is a serious breakdown in trust at
various levels. Mark Chapman points to the lack of
synodical trust in the bishops. I think he is right that
many do not trust the bishops, particularly conserva-
tive evangelicals (the opponents I know best) who,
unlike Catholic opponents, have no voice among thebishops. However, his examples show the bishops
trying to help opponents whereas the problem lay
opponents had was, as Prudence notes, when bishops
appeared to then succumb to pressure from support-
ers of women bishops and support weaker provision.
As long as the House contains no women and very few
opponents it is going to struggle to be representative
and to offer leadership which does not appear to be
reacting to external pressures.
Amore fundamental question is the role of bishops
in relation to Synod. Archbishop Williamss care-
Sharp Bits on a
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ful statement last July spoke of the
responsibility of bishops for the
oversight of the faith and discipline of
the Churchand described synodical
government as meaning that bish-ops invite others to join them in exer-
cising that responsibility as responsi-
bly and effectively as they can.There
are signs, however, that parts of the
Church of England may be moving
to the more democratic under-
standing of governance seen in U.S.
church polity where bishops partic-
ular calling and responsibility is not
given such priority and prominence.
These various issues of trust and gov-
ernance between the Houses of
General Synod and General Synod
and the wider church and Parliament
are now going to feed into debates
about women as bishops as well as
debates over same-sex relationships
which are going to hit Synod with
new force very soon.
I hoped and prayed that, for all its
failings, the proposed measure would
pass because it offered the best way
forward and could, I believe, have
worked. It is true that it had never
received two-thirds among the laity
but it was much more likely to clear
that barrier than any other proposals
on offer. It is encouraging that those
who voted against are saying they
accept that women bishops will be a
reality and their only concern is the
provision made for opponents. How-
ever, there has been an unwillingness
among some opponents really to
engage with what it would mean for
them to minister within a church that
included women bishops. At times ithas appeared that opponents condi-
tion for accepting women as bishops
in the Church of England is that the
church puts in place structures that
authorise them to deny women are
bishops in the church of which they
are part. That is simply not possible
either theologically or politically.
Among the disastrous consequences
of the Synod vote is that it has made
it even less likely supporters will
(Continued on next page)
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countenance anything that gives even
a hint of such a scenario.
Prudence refers to concerns that
alternatives suggested would result in
women becoming second-class bish-
ops but she says no more. That is a
genuine and valid concern that oppo-
nents need somehow to recognise:
the legislation cannot treat women
as lesser bishops. That is a non-
negotiable for almost all supporters.
What those of us committed to
women becoming bishops need to
do, however, is to recognise and
genuinely respect that somewhere
between a fifth and a quarter of
Church of England clergy and laity
will not be able to receive a womans
episcopal ministry in the way they
receive that of a male bishop. What
is more, the reasons for that are the-
ological and we as a church need to
honour Lambeth 1998 III.2, sup-
ported by General Synod in 2006,
that those who dissent from, as
well as those who assent to the ordi-
nation of women to the priesthood
and episcopate, are both loyal Angli-
cans. For me one of the most dis-appointing and alarming develop-
ments has been the dismissal of
opponents as simply misogynistic,
prejudiced and discriminatory by
those who voted for legislation
promising to respect such views. I
disagree strongly with those who
reject women as bishops. I wish they
could see the good news I see in
Scripture affirming that women are
gifted and called by God to build up
the Church in the same ways as men.Nevertheless, I do believe that they
take the stance they do because of
their theology and their commitment
to live under the authority of Scripture
and/or respect the authority of the
wider Church through space and time.
I believe that the legislation needs
somehow to acknowledge this reality.
It may be that to uphold de jureequivalence between male andfemale in the episcopate while mak-
(Continued from previous page)
CATHOLIC VOICES
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Rest, Play, Eating, Studying, Sexfrom a Kingdom Perspective
ing space for this de facto reality of
theological and conscientious dissent
is indeed impossibly trying to square
the circle. Justin Welby famously told
Giles Fraser that the answer was tojust look at the circle and say its a cir-
cle with sharp bits on it. The problem
is that now some people have made
clear the circle needed sharpening up
before they could see it as a square and
vote for it, while others in turn seem
determined to insist that all existing
sharp bits must be smoothed out.
In finding a way forward, Catholic
and evangelical opponents need, I
think, to be more realistically honest
about the messiness that already
exists. Anglican orders are currently
not recognised by Rome and other
churches and so any desired sacra-
mental assurance is already less than
certain. Oaths are already taken
which acknowledge a woman as the
only supreme governor in spiri-
tual and ecclesiastical things as well
as in temporal (italics added) and all
male bishops hold the said bishopric
as well the spiritualities as the tem-
poralities thereof only of Your
Majesty. Is there then not more
wriggle room possible than oppo-
nents have allowed thus far? Can they
in considering what would be ade-
quate provision look to minimise
rather than maximise the potential
genuine conscientious difficulties
that could result with the reality of
women bishops they now say they
recognise as inevitable?
Those of us supporting women as
bishops, rather than simply pushing
on regardless, need in turn to engagemuch more sympathetically with the
real problems this will create for
many fellow Anglicans. It may be that
requires doing what we have so far
failed to do: reconsidering the nature
of episcopacy and in particular the
phenomenon of mono-episcopacy.
The archbishops attempt to develop
a model of co-jurisdiction is unlikely
to work as originally presented. Its
approach though could be developed
to move to a more corporate, shared,
collegial understanding of episcopal
oversight involving both men and
women, just as priests have had to
transition to the reality of team min-
istry in parishes. That may not onlyprove good for the church as a whole,
including its bishops, but perhaps
could provide the circle with sharp
bits on it that we so desperately need
if we are to find a way forward
together that allows all loyal Angli-
cans to flourish across our theologi-
cal traditions.
The Rev. Andrew Goddard, associate
director of the Kirby Laing Institute
for Christian Ethics and tutor at
Trinity College, Bristol, is the author
ofRowan Williams: His Legacy, out
this month from Lion Hudson.
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10/10
I believe that Mark Chapman and
Andrew Goddard are largely correct intheir analysis that a breakdown of
trust within the church, and especially
trust in the bishops, has been both a
cause and an effect of the debacle over
women in the episcopate, and is
reflected in discussions over a number
of other issues. This is, perhaps, hardly
surprising, since the bishops cannot
agree between themselves over almost
any issue of current controversy, and
it has been suggested that they do not
always trust each other either. Most ofus long for bishops whom we can truly
trust with the oversight of the faith
and discipline of the church, but, as
Chapman points out, such trust has to
be earned.
Were it possible to be certain that
bishops, both now and in the future,
would always share Goddards
genuine respect for those with whom
he does not agree on the issue of
womens consecration as bishops,
then a much higher degree of trustwould be possible. As Andrew points
out, however, many within the church
(including some present, and no doubt
future, bishops) dismiss opponents of
women in the episcopate as mis-
ogynistic, prejudiced, and discrimin-
atory, which is hardly a basis for
trust, and has only further convinced
those who voted against the draft
legislation that they were quite right
to do so. During General Synods
debate, Bishop Justin Welby promised
that, as Archbishop of Canterbury, he
would ensure that the commitment to
respect was adhered to, but unfor-
tunately, despite his goodwill, he has
no power to keep such a promise.
A significant number of those who
voted against the draft legislation on
women in the episcopate were, in
fact, supporters of women as bishops,
who were nonetheless dissatisfied
with the accommodation provided to
opponents. I myself, while I am
opposed in principle to women in the
episcopate, would not die in a ditch
over the question, and will be able toreceive their ministry (just as I already
receive the ministry of women as
priests) without personally requiring
any accommodation. I am, however,
deeply concerned that the conse-
cration of women as bishops without
adequate accommodation for oppo-
nents will put pressure on and
significantly marginalise those who
cannot accept the development, most
of whom hold orthodox positions on
other issues.Andrew charges that I refer to
concerns that the various proposals
for accommodation would make
women second-class bishops with-
out responding to those concerns
[TLC, Dec. 23]. The archbishops
amendment on co-ordinate jurisdiction
was precisely designed to find a way
around that problem, but the General
Synod rejected it, and the suspicion
remains that some members of Synod
would vote against anything whichdid not leave the consciences of the
opponents at the mercy of the bishops.
Tom Sutcliffe, a lay member of
General Synod from the very liberal
diocese of Southwark who strongly
supports women in the episcopate but
equally strongly opposed the draft
measure, also pointed out that, in
practice, women as bishops can never
have exactly the same status as their
male counterparts because there will
always be significant numbers of
people within the church who simply
do not accept the validity of the
womens episcopal orders or their
ministry, and no legislation passed by
the General Synod can change that
fact. One woman priest, speaking
against the draft measure in the
Oxford Diocesan Synod debate, said
that the women who would be
bishops ought to be more self-
sacrificing in their approach to
episcopal office.
Andrew questions the viability of
putting in place structures which
authorise [opponents] to deny women
are bishops in the church of whichthey are part, but such structures are
already in place to accommodate
those who cannot accept womens
priestly orders, and one of the reasons
why the Church of England did not
decide to consecrate women as
bishops at the same time as they were
consecrated as bishops is that it is far
more messy and difficult to put in
place such arrangements in relation to
bishops. In fact, I share much of
Andrews disquiet at this sort of thing,
and I wish we were not in this mess. A
wiser church might have avoided the
mess bynotproceeding at all with an
innovation with wide-ranging theo-
logical and ecclesiological impli-
cations, to which a substantial minority
of its members could not assent.
(Indeed, had a two-thirds majority in
every House been required at earlier
stages of the process rather than only
at the end, it is quite likely that we
would not have done so, since even
the principle of women as bishops
did not achieve a two-thirds majority
in the House of Laity.) We are,
however, past that point.
As Andrew mentions, some pro-
ponents of women in the episcopate
are resting their hopes on a rout of
traditionalists in the next General
Synod elections, due to take place in
2015. They will not, of course, be the
only ones campaigning.Prudence Dailey
Oxford, England
Trust Must Be Earned
LETTERS
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