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London: A Church of England commission said yesterday it was time the church made up its mind about how it wanted to deal with female bishops and those among the flock who objected to them.
The church's governing body has voted in principle to allow women to become bishops, but has not yet formally lifted the barrier.
Since 1994, the church also has ordained women as priests, but barred them from becoming bishops. It has provided so-called "flying bishops" to minister to parishes which refuse to accept women as priests or to deal with bishops who ordain women.
The commission, headed by Bishop Nigel McCulloch of Manchester, issued a report yesterday to be debated next month by the church's governing General Synod. The report said that any legislative process would take some years to complete.
"The central question that now needs to be faced is whether the Church of England still wishes to make special arrangements for those who, on grounds of theological conviction, have difficulties with the ordination of women," the report said.
Three options
It said there were three basic options it could consider: making no special arrangements for dissenters, making some arrangement with current church structures, or creating new structures within the church.
It did not recommend which approach to take, but said that making no special provision for dissent would affirm that the Church of England saw no barrier to women becoming priests. It would raise questions, however, about whether parishes could continue to refuse women priests.
The church's governing General Synod voted in principle three years ago to admit women to the episcopate, with bishops, clergy and lay members all endorsing the move by 2-1 or more.
The report suggested the church could also create new dioceses, headed by male bishops, which would oversee those parishes which refuse women priests. The Church of England currently has 7,109 full-time, paid male priests and 1,507 full-time, paid female priests.
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