Between them, they represent three of the four "flying bishops" appointed by General Synod to minister to traditional Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England. All plan to enter the Roman Catholic Church through the Ordinariate, an initiative launched by Pope Benedict XVI to cater specifically to Anglican converts. This has yet to be set up in the U.K. The number of laity planning to follow the episcopal lead is unclear, but already one parish, St. Peter's, in Folkestone, has indicated its intention to convert to Rome.

Not all Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England are ready to "swim the Tiber" and have set up a new society that aims to provide a safe haven for traditionalists who are unable to accept the ministry of women bishops and priests. Called the Society of St. Wilfrid and St. Hilda, it hopes to carve out a niche in the Church of England where Anglo-Catholics can exist with integrity.

Whether this is possible depends on the General Synod allowing the new society semi-autonomous jurisdiction. Given the Synod's liberal makeup and increasing numbers of female clergy, some believe this is unlikely, or even laughable. Damian Thompson, for example, refers to the new group as the "Society of St. Hinge and St. Bracket" after an elderly cross-dressing British comedic duo.

Fr. Geoffrey Kirk, recently retired Secretary of Forward in Faith U.K., offers a more sober, but nonetheless cautionary opinion. Writing for the October issue of Forward in Christ magazine, he states:

"It would be hard to exaggerate the degree to which the Catholic Group in the General Synod of the Church of England was routed in the July group of sessions and in the revision process of the legislation to ordain women as bishops which preceded it."

Having established the liberal hegemony over Synod, Kirk addresses the Wilfrid and Hilda society's chance of success.

"In the case of the Society of SS. Wilfrid and Hilda it is clear that those who are proposing it have no authority to assure or undergird their undertakings; and that, in all probability, they will be obliged either to betray those whose trust they have solicited or to act illegally in the Church to which they claim an enduring allegiance."

With that kind of analysis, based on the reality of the General Synod's refusal to grant the kind of space perceived by Anglo-Catholics as necessary to survive in the Church of England, it is unsurprising that bishops, such as Broadhurst, are taking Pope Benedict up on his offer.

In Broadhurst's own words, "I don't feel I have any choice but to leave the Church and take up the Pope's offer. The General Synod has become vindictive and vicious. It has been fascist in its behaviour, marginalising those who have been opposed to women's ordination. We have not been given any space."

This has been the synodical reality for Anglo-Catholics, but Synods can and do change. If reports of recent elections are true, then an alliance of conservative Evangelicals and Catholics might be able to muster the necessary votes to force the Synod to pass the kind of legislation they see as necessary for their continued existence in the Church of England.

The conservative Synod groups state that they only need one more vote to achieve this goal, which they believe likely. In their press release they go on to state, "The Bishop of Fulham's departure to Rome, announced on Friday, was therefore a little too early and the Catholic Group on General Synod have distanced themselves from his position and will be staying within the CofE."

Far-sighted observers of English synodical history will remember that the vote to allow the ordination of women hung in a similar balance before its proponents won. Anglo-Catholics and their Evangelical allies, who have determined to stay in the Church of England, must pray for a sustained reversal of history. They might get it, but for how long?

In the meanwhile, four bishops, representing a sizable percentage of the Anglo-Catholic constituency in England, have opted for Rome. They will get what they ask for, namely the space to be catholic Christians. They will be leaving their friends in the Catholic Group behind them.

REFORM

Reform, a movement established in 1993 to reforming the Church of England from within according to the Holy Scriptures by promoting the gospel and claims a network of 1,700 members that includes 350 clergy, plans a Religious Society as "Model to Wider Church".

Recently Reform members voted to back the creation of a religious society within the Church of England for conservative evangelicals who want to promote the church's mission but are opposed to the consecration of women as bishops.

Speaking at the network's annual conference recently, attended by over 170 members, the Rev. Rod Thomas, the Reform chairman, said, "This is a very positive move not just for us, but for the wider church. The creation of a society can both provide a model of how the church can change to become more focused on mission, not maintenance, and a way forward through the dilemma it faces over women bishops.

"Reform members are involved in innovative ways of reaching into local communities with the good news of Jesus Christ. Many are in churches with a good number of younger men and women being trained for future gospel work. We have a mission-focus which brings health and life that is good for the wider church, and a religious society would enable us to continue that focus.

"In light of the recent results of elections to General Synod, our proposal takes on even greater weight," he added.

Thomas revealed to the conference that analysis of the election results shows that over one third of the house of laity and just one member short of a third of the house of clergy would now vote against women bishops unless changes were made to the draft legislation. These figures are critical, as the legislation requires a two-thirds majority across all three voting houses (bishops, clergy, laity). If such a majority is not achieved in just one of the three houses, the whole legislation would fail and have to be re-visited.

Thomas said: "The recent elections provided the first real opportunity for grass-roots members of the Church of England to have their say on women bishops. There are many who remain firmly opposed to the idea, because the Bible says that there should be different roles for men and women both in the family and the church. For them the current proposals provide no firm guarantees, and therefore are completely inadequate. So there is now a real incentive to find a way of making appropriate provision, otherwise the whole legislation could fail. A religious society with a clear statutory role has not been fully considered, and could provide a way through."

Although some senior figures within the church are known to be broadly supportive of the creation of a religious society, Thomas indicated that there is "a lot of detail to be worked out" as to the exact way such a society would operate, but reckoned that within 6-12 months the framework could be clear.

Editors note:

Evangelical and Catholic groups on General Synod have swapped lists of candidates and analyzed the results. The analysis shows that in the House of Clergy, 66 Clergy would block the current legislation being sent down to the diocese, (i.e.32.10%) and 77 laity would block the current legislation being sent down to the diocese (35.46%). Only 34% is needed to block the legislation when it returns from the dioceses. So in the house of laity a blocking minority already exists and in the house of clergy only a further 1.81% is needed, just one person.

END