women bishops: early day motion
Frank Field has tabled an early day motion as follows:
“That this House welcomes the current moves by the General Synod of the Church of England to pass legislation permitting women to be bishops; notes that the Synod is currently engaged in consulting the Dioceses on the Women in the Episcopate: draft bishops and priests (consecration and ordination of women) Measure; further notes that General Synod expects to debate the final approval stage of the Measure in July 2012; encourages the House of Bishops to commend the Measure as currently drafted; and calls on Her Majesty’s Government to remove any exemptions pertaining to gender under existing equality legislation, in the event that the Measure has overwhelming support in the dioceses but fails through a technicality to receive final approval in General Synod.”
It sounds to me like the sort of motion that will bring the discussion into the public arena again but probably won’t end up in law. I wonder whether he would also like to tackle free churches, new frontiers, catholics or anyone else that keeps women as second class citizens? But I guess not: establishment is the issue here, together with the fact that Bishops sit in the Lords. It’s hard to predict whether this will help or hinder the process within the Church itself, but maybe keeping public opinion visible will be a good thing? It is certainly one of the most glaring weaknesses of the Church of England that a medieval attitude towards women still is allowed house room.
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