Anglican Communion Votes for Women Bishops

Jul. 10 (CWNews.com) - The General Synod of the Church of England voted on July 8 to approve the ordination of women as bishops.

By a vote of 288- 119, the Synod found that the episcopal ordination of women would be "consonant with the faith of the church." Of the 40 autonomous churches around the world belonging to the Anglican communion, 14 already have women bishops.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, will now establish a working group to recommend concrete changes in church legislation that would allow for the ordination of women bishops in the Church of England.

Anglican groups which had been campaigning for the change welcomed the Synod's decision as a sign that the final barrier to their success had been removed. Christina Rees of Women and the Church observed, "It is clear that we will be moving forward from now on toward having women as bishops."

Prelates who opposed the move worried that the decision could be the last straw for traditionalists in the Anglican church, who might break with the Church of England over what they see as a fundamental question of faith, ending any Anglican chain of having preserved the apostolic succession. Bishop Peter Forster of Chester remarked that the challenge facing the Church of England is to "devise a way to have women bishops which doesn't either un-church a much-valued section from within our midst, or simply produce an incoherent doctrine of the church."

Catholic leaders had warned their Anglican colleagues that approval of women bishops would severely damage prospects for regaining full communion. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said in June that the move would put full unity "out of reach."

In a June talk to the hierarchy of the Church of England, Cardinal Walter Kasper (bio - news), the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, said that talks between the two bodies to date have been based on the presupposition that both side hopes for an eventual restoration of full communion. "The presupposition would realistically no longer exist" if women became bishops, Cardinal Kasper warned.

As we see many of the main-line protestant groups continue to fall away from the teachings of historic Christianity, it is easy to look on them and say "well at least I am a member of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." While that is true, the fact is that unity among Christians is now almost impossible.....and that is certainly a sad fact!

The Catholic Church is the only place where unity exists, led by the Bishop of Rome. It is the Catholic Church that will be the light for those who search out historic Christianity in the years to come. We must pray for our seperated brethren, but also that we as members of Christ's Church will be prepared to welcome in those who see out the true Church.

Praise be to Jesus Christ!