To reject the 'Single Clause' option of the Manchester Report
- John Richardson
- Closed on
- Target:
- Members of the Church of England, the House of Bishops and General Synod
- Region:
- United Kingdom
- Website:
- ugleyvicar.blogspot.com
With General Synod now in session to discuss this issue, the petition is now closed.
It gathered 1,101 signatures between May 28th and July 5th.
The petition was organized in response to two similar online petitions supporting the 'Single Clause' option. The petition for male clergy had collected 1052 signatures and the petition for laypeople had collected 2081 at the point where this petition was closed. In addition, a letter signed by women clergy in support of the 'Single Clause' option, which prompted these latter petitions, was initially said to have collected 'over 700' signatures.
Later press reports increased the figure of women clergy signatories. On the basis of these initial figures, however, those signing this petition comprised over 20% (above one fifth) of the total signatories of petitions on this issue.
Allowing for the likelihood that petition signatories are equally represented in both camps, this suggests a substantial percentage of the Church of England are opposed to the 'Single Clause' option when compared with those in favour.
Thank you if you signed this petition.
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.
We, the undersigned, being members of the Church of England in England, agree with clause J6 of the Nottingham Statement, passed by the National Evangelical Anglican Congress in 1977.
With respect to the consecration of women as bishops in the Church of England, we regard the ‘Single Clause, Code of Practice’ option proposed in Annexe B of the Manchester Report as making insufficient provision for those who share this view.
We respectfully ask the House of Bishops and the General Synod to take this into account when considering legislation to consecrate women as bishops, and commend their consideration of the other options in the Manchester Report.
Clause J6 reads, “We repent of our failure to give women their rightful place as partners in mission with men. Leadership in the Church should be plural and mixed, ultimate responsibility normally singular and male.”
The To reject the 'Single Clause' option of the Manchester Report petition to Members of the Church of England, the House of Bishops and General Synod was written by John Richardson and is in the category Religion at GoPetition.