Synod set for women bishops vote

The Church of England's ruling body, the general synod, will vote later on the conditions under which women could be consecrated as bishops.

The York meeting will decide how far to accommodate opponents to women bishops - such as whether they could receive oversight from a male bishop.

But women in the Church have said such a move would be discriminatory.

More than 1,000 clergy have threatened to leave the Church if women are allowed to become bishops.

However, the general synod has been urged by the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, not to "simply to kick the whole thing into touch" amid fears about division.

The bishop, who headed a report into the possible options open to the Church over the consecration of women bishops, said there were dangers in further delay.

The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994.

'Super bishop'

The synod will be asked to back a motion calling for a national code of practice to accommodate parishes which cannot accept women bishops.

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, will attempt to amend this motion by putting forward proposals for work on two possible ways forward.

One of these options would be for a national code - but the other would be to explore the creation of a new class of "super bishop" called a "complementary bishop" to cater for objectors.

Under the proposals put by the Rt Rev Packer, there would be three "super bishops" - one for the York province and two for Canterbury.

In total, 1,300 members of the clergy have written to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, saying they would consider leaving the Church if they had to serve under women bishops.

One signatory, Father Robert Fayers, told the BBC that while men and women were equal in the eyes of God, he would have some "hard decisions to make" if the Church voted to allow women bishops.

"The Church of England is part of the universal church - we call it one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and unless the whole Church makes the change... then I don't think the Church of England... has got the competence or the right or the authority to make the change," he said.

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said: "Both sides privately concede they will not entirely win the day and a compromise seems likely."

In his Sunday sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury said Jesus would feel the pain on both sides of the divide in the Church of England over women bishops and gay priests.

Synod set for women bishops vote
BBC News, UK