The Rt Revd Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, England, has chaired
the working party on the Theology of Women in the Episcopate since it
was created in July 2000, and the culmination of its work has resulted
in a report being drafted for consideration. The House of Bishops of the
Church of England met this week in the lead up to the annual February
gathering of the General Synod in London, and one of the items on their
agenda was the discussion of this draft report.

Head of Media Relations for the Church of England, Mr Steve Jenkins,
said that the House of Bishops had been asked by the General Synod to
produce a report on the theological issues, considering all
possibilities, as a background document to any future debate. "At the
end of the report there is a table that represents all possible pastoral
arrangements," he said. "At one extreme there is the option of no
episcopal oversight, and at the other extreme there is the possibility
of a third non-geographical province." The likelihood of one of these
extremes being adopted is improbable.

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali last reported to General Synod in 2002 saying
that, in considering the place of women in the Church, the working party
has had to reflect on women in society generally. "Here we have tried to
come to an understanding of women and men in creation which respects
both their difference and their common creation in the image of God, as
well as their common mission in God's World (Gen: 26-28)," he said. "Our
views are likely to be rooted in whether we see the common mission of
men and women as more fundamental or the distinction in role which comes
from difference in gender."

The primary task of the working party has been to identify and examine
the theological issues involved in the ordination of women to the
episcopate. "It may be...that arising out of this, the working party
will also be able to make practical recommendations," said Bishop
Michael. "It is, of course, for General Synod to consider the findings
of the working party and to make appropriate decisions in the light of
such findings."

Christina Rees, a member of General Synod and Chair of WATCH (Women and
the Church) - an organisation which works for an inclusive Church and
wants to see women taking their place alongside men at every level in
the Church - met with some of the bishops of the Church of England after
the House met. "The report of the working party will most likely be
discussed at General Synod in November 2004 or February 2005," she said.
"In the meantime, the draft needs to be amended and then returned to the
House of Bishops for their meeting in July this year."

The working party, which includes people with vastly differing views,
has taken four years to complete its work; a great deal longer than
originally anticipated. "When people ask me - 'is the Church of England
ready to move forward?' - my answer is unequivocally: absolutely!" she
said. "When we look at the figures we find that at least 4 out of 5
laity and 3 out of 4 clergy are ready to accept women as bishops." She
added that there are only a small number of bishops who would be averse
to this. "The Church is more than ready!"

The first female priest in the Anglican Communion, the Revd Florence Lei
Tim Oi, was ordained in Hong Kong in 1944. During the 1960s and 70s
there was a movement in many countries across the world towards the
ordination of women as priests. In 1974 there was an irregular
ordination of 11 women in the United States, and the Episcopal Church in
the United States authorised women's priestly ordination two years later.

On 11 November 1992, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to
open the priesthood to women, five years after women were first ordained
to the diaconate. This vote came after 70 years of formal discussion and
debate in the Anglican Communion, which began in 1920 when the Lambeth
Conference first considered the issue. Currently, one in five Church of
England priests is female.

At present, only the Anglican/Episcopal Churches of the USA, Canada, New
Zealand, Ireland and Southern Africa have approved legislation for the
ordination of women as bishops. However, the General Synod of the
Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) ended centuries of tradition when they
met in Edinburgh last year and made an historic decision by voting to
accept women in the episcopate.

In March 2003, Church leaders in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds voted by
a large majority to allow women to become bishops. This is just one of
many diocesan synods that have put pressure on the Church of England to
speed up the process.

The Revd Dr Sr Teresa, Editor of Distinctive News of Women in Ministry
and member of the Church of England General Synod 1995-2000, said,
"Having women, as well as men as bishops, would enrich the church,
especially in its pastoral work for both lay and ordained women."

END