'Super bishops' plan to stop schism

A new class of so-called "super bishop" is to be proposed as a way of saving the Church of England from a damaging split over women bishops, it has been disclosed.

The Church's ruling body, the General Synod, is to be asked to back work on two options to solve the impasse over how to introduce women bishops in the Church.

One of the options would be to develop a national code to accommodate those who object to women bishops on grounds of religious conscience.

But the other option would be to create three new "complementary bishops", dubbed "super bishops" to give pastoral oversight in parishes which objected to women bishops.

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, will make the proposals on Monday at a key debate on how to proceed with the introduction of women bishops.

He said the complementary bishops - two in the Canterbury province and one in the province of York - would be answerable to the Archbishops of York and Canterbury.

The Rt Rev Packer said the move would mean that a parish objecting to women bishops would not join a new diocese.

But he said the legislation would entail transferring some of the duties of the diocesan bishop to the complementary bishop.

He admitted that the proposal would not solve the difficulties of parishes which objected to an Archbishop who had consecrated women bishops.

He said: "We are all going to have to accept some limitations on where we would like to be. I don't think that the word compromise is a dirty word." He added: "I have talked to one or two of my colleagues, I am not the only person who thinks this could be a way through."

 'Super bishops' plan to stop schism
The Press Association