Women in the English Episcopate

The Legislative Drafting Group of the House of Bishops has put forward proposals to allow for women bishops in the Church of England called the “Manchester Report.”

The news release from the Church of England says:

“The central issue for the Church of England, as our report points out, is the extent to which the Church wishes to accommodate the breadth of theological views that it currently encompasses in relation to women priests and bishops. Against that background, we have set out the three broad approaches which the Church of England could take if it wishes to move towards ordaining women bishops.”

The three approaches set out by the Legislative Drafting Group are:

• The simplest national statutory approach with no binding national arrangements;

• Legislation that would provide some basis for special arrangements for those unable to receive the ministry of women bishops, such arrangements to be made within the present structures of the Church of England;

• Legislation that would create new structures within the Church of England for those unable to receive the ministry of women bishops.

The Group does not offer a recommendation of its own but analyses the pros and cons of each approach, identifying, where relevant, various sub options.

You can see the whole report here, but as Thinking Anglicans says “Unfortunately, it is provided only as a series of separate, mostly .doc files. Perhaps the situation will improve later.”

Thinking Anglicans: Report on Women as Bishops as an extensive and growing roundup.

Church of England: Women in the Episcopate – Manchester Report published

The Telegraph reports that the Church plans “men only” dioceses here.

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