Women and the Church (WATCH) has made a formal response to the consultation.
The main body of the response is in this document (PDF):
The WATCH response to GS Misc 1042 Women in the episcopate: a new way forward.
Or it is available here as a normal web page.
There are several appendices:
I am grateful for the “Promises” paper. It is clearly written. I have not enough knowlegde to judge how balanced and comprehensive the survey is, nor any experience of the workings of PEVs; but it does look as though at least some in that orbit maximised the possibilities. Central to the cogent logic of the paper is the claim made by conservatives that bishops and priests who participate in the ordination of women invalidate their sacramental ministry. The suggestion is that the practical development of the PEV programme was driven by this belief. How pervasive was and is this belief?… Read more »
Very grateful for Rosalind Rutherford’s reading of the promises given or not – as a G Synod member post 2005 have always been troubled by the idea of breaking a promise, as usual it is not quite as simple as that!
The “After November” paper gives so many stories of personal distress that read true to me – but why are the stories anonymous. Why can’t people put their names to their story? Surely nobody there would get sacked or suffer serious consequences for the statements contained therein? In the gay world we know that “coming out” is a hugely powerful act. People used to see homosexuality as something that affected somebody else in a different church or town. But the act of coming out forced people to recognise that homosexuality affected their own son, or friend, or colleague, or priest.… Read more »
Simon, People did give their names; WATCH anonymised them so that there was no question of people feeling unable to be honest about their experiences or feelings. I agree with you as a general principle, but we wanted to collect a body of frank evidence, rather than it to be ‘edited’ in advance by people who – for whatever reason – weren’t comfortable about everyone they’d ever or never met potentially knowing how they felt. And it’s easier to anonymise everything rather than for some people to have to withhold permission to use their names. But thank you for reading… Read more »
Rosalind Rutherford’s paper is a masterful analysis of the creation and operation of the Act of Synod. It shows very clearly how much more has been taken than the creators of the Act ever intended to allow, and Mgr Andrew Burnham’s confession from across the Tiber leaves no possible room for doubt that this is the case. In short, what was generously provided was ‘extended episcopal care’ but what was taken was ‘alternative episcopal oversight’, a very different thing. In hindsight, no doubt out of the same spirit of generosity, far too little was done to restrain the excesses of… Read more »
Malcolm Dixon expresses very clearly and well, why PEV Bs must not be allowed to continue in the way that Andrew Burnham and colleagues behaved, undermining the ordinary life and ministry of Church of England people; and weakened the Catholic tradition in the Church of England.
It was a really appalling extraction of the Michael to put the matter very, very politely and with moderation.