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Petition Tag - women bishops
1. No Discrimination in the Episcopate – Laity 
We have received an unprecedented number of emails from normally quiet and patient members of the Church of England. They have expressed their disbelief at the Revision Committee’s announcement in October that it has decided to prepare legislation for an option the General Synod has already rejected!
Instead of doing what General Synod asked of them, namely drafting simple legislation for women to be allowed to be bishops, with arrangements for those who remain opposed to women’s ordinations to be contained in a statutory Code of Practice, the Revision Committee decided to “provide for certain functions to be vested in Bishops by statute rather than by delegation from the diocesan bishop under a statutory code of practice”.
This would result in a two-tier Episcopate, with every female bishop, and potentially all male bishops who ordain or consecrate women, having their authority diverted on request to another male bishop acceptable to those opposed to women bishops. A senior clergywoman and General Synod member has written of her dismay at the proposals, making the point that for those who want to stay in the Church of England, in spite of their difficulty with women’s ordination, it is precisely this Church they love, not the damaged and divided one that would result from the proposed arrangements. She says, “We can and will make it possible for them to stay…not through rules but through Christian care.”
The Revision Committee’s decision has produced widespread shock among Church members, not to mention disbelief and derision from wider society. People are confused about the role of the Established Church, which exists to serve all in the land and which is supposed to give Christian leadership on matters of ethics and justice. For the Church to be equivocating on the ability or desirability of women to hold positions of leadership is to send out a damaging message about all women, and one which is at odds with the Church’s understanding of humanity.
A clergy woman writes: “How am I supposed to try to explain this sort of mess to my parishioners? It’s acutely embarrassing. I want to grow the Church, not bring it into disrepute.”
A lay member writes: “I am really shocked at the inhumanity of this latest backward step.”
Another writes: “I am appalled at this dreadful idea which is unspeakable in its implications of the second-class nature of women in general.
Other messages include comments like “unacceptable” “idiocy” “highly insulting” “tragic” with one clergywoman describing the revision process as a “charade.”
We ask the Revision Committee to think again and bring the legislation it was asked to bring to the next Synod.
Christina Rees said the outcry was unprecedented. “I have never before witnessed such outrage and anger. Most people in our Church do not want to distinguish in law between male and female bishops. People are interested in bishops, whether male or female, who have a heart for the priests and people in their dioceses. They do not want to see the historic Episcopate of the Church of England destroyed in order to appease less than 2% of clergy who do not believe women should be ordained. In the light of the overwhelming will of the Church, tested repeatedly, the Revision Committee needs to think again and prepare the legislation that General Synod has asked for – without any further delay.”
2. No Discrimination in the Episcopate – Male Clergy
We have received an unprecedented number of emails from normally quiet and patient members of the Church of England. They have expressed their disbelief at the Revision Committee’s announcement in October that it has decided to prepare legislation for an option the General Synod has already rejected!
Instead of doing what General Synod asked of them, namely drafting simple legislation for women to be allowed to be bishops, with arrangements for those who remain opposed to women’s ordinations to be contained in a statutory Code of Practice, the Revision Committee decided to “provide for certain functions to be vested in Bishops by statute rather than by delegation from the diocesan bishop under a statutory code of practice”.
This would result in a two-tier Episcopate, with every female bishop, and potentially all male bishops who ordain or consecrate women, having their authority diverted on request to another male bishop acceptable to those opposed to women bishops. A senior clergywoman and General Synod member has written of her dismay at the proposals, making the point that for those who want to stay in the Church of England, in spite of their difficulty with women’s ordination, it is precisely this Church they love, not the damaged and divided one that would result from the proposed arrangements. She says, “We can and will make it possible for them to stay…not through rules but through Christian care.”
The Revision Committee’s decision has produced widespread shock among Church members, not to mention disbelief and derision from wider society. People are confused about the role of the Established Church, which exists to serve all in the land and which is supposed to give Christian leadership on matters of ethics and justice. For the Church to be equivocating on the ability or desirability of women to hold positions of leadership is to send out a damaging message about all women, and one which is at odds with the Church’s understanding of humanity.
A clergy woman writes: “How am I supposed to try to explain this sort of mess to my parishioners? It’s acutely embarrassing. I want to grow the Church, not bring it into disrepute.”
A lay member writes: “I am really shocked at the inhumanity of this latest backward step.”
Another writes: “I am appalled at this dreadful idea which is unspeakable in its implications of the second-class nature of women in general.
Other messages include comments like “unacceptable” “idiocy” “highly insulting” “tragic” with one clergywoman describing the revision process as a “charade.”
We ask the Revision Committee to think again and bring the legislation it was asked to bring to the next Synod.
Christina Rees said the outcry was unprecedented. “I have never before witnessed such outrage and anger. Most people in our Church do not want to distinguish in law between male and female bishops. People are interested in bishops, whether male or female, who have a heart for the priests and people in their dioceses. They do not want to see the historic Episcopate of the Church of England destroyed in order to appease less than 2% of clergy who do not believe women should be ordained. In the light of the overwhelming will of the Church, tested repeatedly, the Revision Committee needs to think again and prepare the legislation that General Synod has asked for – without any further delay.”
3. Women Clergy Letter to the House of Bishops
Letter to the House of Bishops from undersigned women clergy
The Consecration of Women to the Episcopate
In the light of the Revision Committee’s recent announcement, we write to you to acknowledge that it is with a measure of despair that we have heard their decision to give up consideration of the “statutory code of practice” arrangements that Synod had endorsed. This despair is born both of frustration and incredulity. Frustration that the Church, which we love, seems unable to welcome and celebrate God’s calling of women to leadership, and incredulity that this committee would signal its abandonment of a principle expressed by the vote of General Synod, and in so doing, disregard what we believe to be the will of the Church of England: that women should be consecrated as bishops in the Church of God without discrimination.
We repeat our argument, made to you in a letter from women clergy last year that the catholic identity of the Church of England is at stake when a bishop is not simply a bishop, but limited by law in order to provide sacramental security or safeguard for those opposed to her consecration. This argument has been characterised as choosing principle over people, but we maintain that a robust code of practice is already a significant sign from women that strong pastoral concern for those opposed guides us and those who support women’s ordination.
Now that Pope Benedict and the Archbishop of Canterbury have announced a new Order for Anglicans within the Roman Church, we believe that the argument for legal arrangements within the Church of England is greatly diminished. There is now a place where many opposed to women’s ordination may retain their Anglican identity but will have the sacramental security they seek. Meanwhile, the Church of England, episcopally led and synodically governed, faces a moment of decision that will affect its ecclesiology, mission and most particularly the character of its House of Bishops for generations to come.
We believe that the key ecclesiological relationships of pastoral oversight, shared ministry and servant leadership must depend on trust, forgiveness, repentance and reconciliation. Bishops male and female will build on the existing valuable experience gained by women and men in modelling these relationships after 22 years of women’s ordained ministry and 15 years of priesthood. We reiterate that we long to see the consecration of women bishops in the Church of England and urge you not only to argue for Synod’s will to be honoured, but for the integrity of the office of Bishop to be preserved in a single clause measure with a strong and sensitive code of practice for those opposed.
In May last year, ordained women wrote to you saying that if episcopacy for women is to be qualified by legal arrangements to protect others from our oversight, then our response, respectfully, was thank you but no. Our view has not changed. We therefore ask you not to institutionalise a further fracture in our communion. We ask you to lead the Church to consecrating women bishops without qualification; a step supported by the majority of lay and ordained Anglicans in England and according to the vote in General Synod.
4. Supporters of Women Bishops who reject the 'Single Clause' option of the Manchester Report
The General Synod of the Church of England is being asked to bring forward legislation to allow women to be consecrated as bishops. A group chaired by the Bishop of Manchester has presented a report in which a number of approaches are suggested, offering varying degrees of legal provision for those holding to traditional and historic views on leadership in the Church. (This report may be downloaded from the Church of England website.)
The minimal provision suggested is the abolition of present legislation which allows parishes to pass the Resolutions set out in the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 and the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993. Any provision for objectors would instead be made via a ‘Code of Practice’, drawn up and applied by the bishops.
Pressure is being brought to bear in support of this ‘Single Clause’ option particularly by those who clearly have no sympathy for the traditional and historic position. However, the Manchester Report presents a number of reasons why this approach would be problematic, including moral, legal and theological considerations, adding that were such a ‘Single Clause’ approach to be adopted, “We have no doubt that many would conclude that they could no longer remain within a Church of England that had ceased to be willing to provide any reliable, national provisions for their convictions.”
There are those within the Church of England who, whilst they support the consecration of women as bishops, believe that proper provision must continue to be made for those who do not, and that this would not be available under a Code of Practice. This petition therefore expresses support for women bishops but urges the bishops and General Synod to reject the ‘Single Clause, Code of Practice’ approach and to adopt one of the other options proposed in the Manchester Report.
5. To reject the 'Single Clause' option of the Manchester Report
The General Synod of the Church of England is being asked to bring forward legislation to allow women to be consecrated as bishops. A group chaired by the Bishop of Manchester has presented a report in which a number of approaches are suggested, offering varying degrees of legal provision for those holding to traditional and historic views on leadership in the Church. (This report may be downloaded from the Church of England website.)
The minimal provision suggested (in Annexe B of the Report) is the abolition of present legislation which allows parishes to pass the Resolutions set out in the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 and the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993. The only provision for objectors would be made via a ‘Code of Practice’, drawn up and applied by the bishops.
Pressure is being brought to bear in support of this ‘Single Clause’ option particularly by those who clearly have no sympathy for the traditional and historic position. It is therefore to be doubted that the Code of Practice would make genuine, sufficient and enduring provision for objectors to women bishops.
(It should be noted that there is already an acknowledged absence of Conservative Catholic and Evangelical representation amongst the current bishops, despite existing legislation stating that “no person or body shall discriminate against candidates ... for appointment to senior office in the Church of England on the grounds of their view or positions about the ordination of women to the priesthood.”. This is itself suggestive that a ‘Code of Practice’ could not be relied on.)
This petition re-iterates the position taken at the National Evangelical Anglican Congress in 1977, which was then regarded by the large majority of Evangelical Anglicans as being biblical as well as traditional. It asks people to sign their agreement to that position and to urge the bishops and General Synod to take this into account by rejecting the ‘Single Clause, Code of Practice’ approach and to adopt one of the other options proposed in the Manchester Report.
6. Support Women Bishops - Laity
This petition is a result of wishing to support a similar petition signed by women clergy to the House of Bishops in the Church of England calling for the legislation for women bishops to be free from discrimination.
The women clergy petition was sent in May 2008 and there has been substantial pressure from lay people to conduct a similar exercise.
7. Women Bishops - Male Clergy
This petition is a result of wishing to support a similar petition signed by women clergy to the House of Bishops in the Church of England calling for the legislation for women bishops to be free from discrimination.
The women clergy petition was sent in May 2008 and there has been substantial pressure from male clergy to conduct a similar exercise.
