Women Bishops Legislation ‘Not Fit For Purpose' Says Combined Group of General Synod Members
As the Church of England's General Synod prepares for an historic vote on women bishops later this month, a new booklet, sent to all Synod members this weekend, warns that the draft legislation is ‘fatally flawed.'
The booklet, entitled ‘Not fit for purpose', has been published by the chairs of the Catholic Group in General Synod - Canon Simon Killwick - and of Reform - Prebendary Rod Thomas. It says the legislation is fatally flawed because:
It relies on specially-appointed bishops for traditionalists, but does not guarantee that any will be appointed. At the moment, despite the fact that nearly 1 in 10 members of Synod are evangelicals who do not subscribe to women bishops, there are no serving bishops of their persuasion in the Church of England at all.
Its specific provision for traditionalists is very uncertain. It depends on:
Diocesan Bishops showing ‘respect' for that outlook in choosing special bishops, but it is unclear what showing ‘respect' might involve;
A Code of Practice that hasn't yet been debated or agreed by the Synod and which in any event cannot be directly enforced.
Elsewhere, the booklet says the draft legislation does not reflect what the Bible teaches about the equality of men and women and how differences between them are to be reflected in their church roles.
In a letter to all Synod members, the two chairmen say that if General Synod approves the draft Women Bishops Measure, so far from bringing the current controversy to an end, approval would only exacerbate it and lead to growing disunity. ‘The damage done by passing the Measure will be much greater than any temporary discomfort caused by delaying,' say the two.
The two chairs pledge that if Synod declines to approve the draft Measure, they will commit themselves to seeking agreement about a better way forward.
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Note for Editors
The Catholic Group on General Synod exists to witness to the Catholic nature of the Church of England, and to wider Catholic unity.
Reform is a network of evangelicals within the Church of England committed to the evangelisation of the nation and adherence to the Word of God as revealed in the Bible.