Women observe House of Bishops
Participant observers: the eight women welcomed to the House of
Bishops' meetings: left to right: back row: the
Ven. Rachel Treweek, the Ven. Nicola Sullivan, the Ven. Annette
Cooper, the Ven. Joanne Grenfell; front row: the Revd
Libby Lane, the Revd Preb. Dr Jane Tillier, the Very Revd Vivienne
Faull, the Ven. Christine Wilson
Participant observers: the eight women welcomed to the House of
Bishops' meetings: left to right: back row: the
Ven. Rachel Treweek, the Ven. Nicola...
EIGHT women joined the House of Bishops as "participant
observers" for the first time this week.
The House of Bishops decided in February that eight senior women
clerics, elected by region, would participate in meetings of the
House until six women bishops are appointed and are able sit as of
right (
News, 8 February).
Held on Monday and Tuesday, the meeting included discussion of
women in the episcopate, the Pilling report, the approval of new
baptism liturgy, changes to legislative approaches on safeguarding,
and the Anglican-Methodist Covenant.
After hearing from members of the steering committee on women
bishops about suggestions for the next steps in the process, the
House agreed the text of a draft declaration and regulations for a
mandatory disputes-resolution procedure for debate at General Synod
in February. It agreed to begin at the February Synod meeting the
process for rescinding the 1993 Act of Synod, so that all the
elements of the new package could be agreed by the Synod in
July.
Sir Joseph Pilling introduced a discussion on the report on
sexuality by the group that he chaired (News, 29
November).
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