Bishop Mariann Budde was interviewed on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on NPR talking about women in the church on Monday. Partly a response to the Church of England vote on women in the episcopate, but more wide ranging. WAMU has the transcript:
MS. JENNIFER GOLBECK
From WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to “The Kojo Nnamdi Show,” connecting your neighborhood with the world. I’m Jen Golbeck from the University of Maryland sitting in for Kojo. … the Church of England recently announced that going forward, it would allow women priests to become bishops. It was a major shift that’s been happening across religious denominations for decades. Including the Episcopal Church here in the US, which approved the ordination of women priests and bishops back in the 70s. But it’s taken time, and women still face many challenges in rising to leadership positions. The Washington Diocese of the Episcopal Church ordained its first female bishop in 2011. The Right Reverend Mariann Budde joins us to talk about women inside and outside the clergy. It’s good to have you here.
… So you’re the bishop of the Episcopal Church of Washington and its first woman to serve as bishop. It’s coming up on two years now. Let’s start by just telling us, what’s the bishop’s role?
BUDDE
Thanks for having me. I want to — may I just say something about being the first bishop?… Because anyone of us who’s gone first is always standing on the shoulders of people who’ve gone before us. I am the first elected diocesan bishop, but there was another bishop of the Diocese of Washington who was elected as an assisting bishop. Her name was Jane Dixon and she served ably in this diocese for many years. And even took on the authority of bishop, in a temporary capacity, before the next bishop was elected. And so even though I’m the first elected Diocesan Bishop, every one of us who stands in a position like this has great forebears….And Jane Dixon was certainly one of mine. The role of bishop is as spiritual oversight — overseer. And so, a diocese is a geographic area. Our diocese is the Diocese of Washington, D.C. and for Maryland counties. 89 congregations, the Washington National Cathedral.
Read it all here.