Updated Tuesday morning
Ruth Gledhill of the Times writes:
The Church of England decided tonight to ordain women bishops with minimal concessions to protect opponents, despite the threat of a mass exodus of traditionalist clergy.
The bishops voted in favour of bringing forward legislation to ordain women bishops by 28 to 12. The clergy voted in favour by 124 to 44 and the Laity by 111 to 68.
A proposal for “super bishops” for objectors to women bishops, in the same way that “flying bishops” care for church-goers against women priests, was narrowly defeated at the York meeting of the General Synod.
The synod rejected the plan even though it had the backing of the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, also told members he would be unhappy to see a “systematic marginalisation” of Anglo-Catholics, who he described as a “necessary abrasion”.
Christina Rees, of the pro-women lobby Women and the Church, welcomed the move to consecrate women with a voluntary code of practice for handling objections as the “lesser of two evils”. She said women would accept and work with it.
Traditionalists must now decide whether to accept that women will become bishops with equal status to men in the established church, to leave and seek refuge in the Roman Catholic church or stay and attempt to fight it at the final hurdle.
Riazat Butt of The Guardian played it this way:
The Church of England was thrown into turmoil tonight over the issue of women bishops as it appeared to reject proposals that would have accommodated clergy strongly opposed to the historic change.
In a debate lasting more than four hours, the General Synod voted against the introduction of separate structures and “superbishops” because they amounted to institutionalised discrimination.
Martin Beckford of The Telegraph says:
Hundreds of traditionalists, including several bishops, may leave the church after an epic four-hour debate ended with proposals to create new “men only” dioceses or “super bishops” narrowly thrown out by members of the General Synod in York.
It came despite the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the two most senior figures in the church, calling for safeguards to stop an exodus of Anglo-Catholics and evangelicals.
Ruth Gledhill, kept a liveblog on the debate.
Now voting on final motion as amended twice.
Bishops: 28 for 12 against 1 abs
Clergy: 124 for 44 agaionst 4 abs
Laity: 111 for 68 against 2 abs
Motion carried
An earlier vote to adjourn without voting failed.
Thinking Anglicans provides the resolution, which after two amendments reads:
That this Synod:
(a) affirm that the wish of its majority is for women to be admitted to the episcopate;
(b) affirm its view that special arrangements be available, within the existing structures of the Church of England, for those who as a matter of theological conviction will not be able to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests;
(c) affirm that these should be contained in a statutory national code of practice to which all concerned would be required to have regard; and
(d) instruct the legislative drafting group, in consultation with the House of Bishops, to complete its work accordingly, including preparing the first draft of a code of practice, so that the Business Committee can include first consideration of the draft legislation in the agenda for the February 2009 group of sessions.
See earlier coverage on The Lead here.
UPDATE – Thinking Anglicans has a thorough list of mainstream media links.