Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure (No.2)

CONTENTS

1 Provision for consecration of women bishops and ordination of women priests

2 Declaration by bishops relating to women bishops and priests

3 Selection of Suffragan Sees

4 Code of Practice

5 Interpretation

6 Repeals

7 Citation, commencement and extent

Schedule — Repeals

A DRAFT OF A MEASURE

To make provision for the consecration of women bishops and for the continuation of provision for the ordination of women priests; to repeal the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993; and for connected purposes.

1 Provision for consecration of women bishops and ordination of women priests

(1) It shall continue to be lawful for the General Synod to make provision by Canon for enabling a woman to be ordained to the office of priest if she otherwise satisfies the requirements of Canon Law as to the persons who may be ordained as priests.

(2) It shall be lawful for the General Synod to make provision by Canon for enabling a woman to be consecrated to the office of bishop if she otherwise satisfies the requirements of Canon Law as to the persons who may be consecrated as bishops.

(3) The Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 (1993 No.2) is repealed.

2 Declaration by bishops relating to women bishops and priests

(1) A male bishop of a diocese may make the following declaration—

(a) that he will not ordain a woman to the office of priest; and

(b) that he will not participate in the consecration of a woman to the office of bishop.

(2) A declaration of a bishop under subsection (1) shall, unless it is made by virtue of section 4(5), be made—

(a) in the case of a bishop in office at the commencement date, within the period of 1 month from that date, and

(b) in the case of a bishop appointed to his office after that date, within the period of 1 month from the date on which his election to that office is confirmed.

(3) A declaration by a bishop under subsection (1) shall be contained in a written notice signed by him.

(4) A bishop who has made a declaration tinder subsection (1) may by written notice signed by him withdraw the declaration.

(5) A copy of any notice given under subsection (3) or (4) shall be sent to the following—

(a) Her Majesty;

(b) the archbishop of the province concerned;

(c) the secretary of the diocesan synod of the diocese concerned;

(d) the registrar of the province concerned;

(e) the registrar of the diocese concerned.

(6) Where the bishop of a diocese who has made a declaration under subsection (1) and not withdrawn it ceases to hold that office, the declaration shall continue in force until a new bishop is appointed and then, immediately, cease to have effect.

3 Selection of Suffragan Sees

(1) The archbishop of each province shall, from time to time, nominate one or more suffragan sees in his or her province from which the holders may be selected by diocesan bishops to exercise, in relation to parishes in their dioceses whose parochial church councils have requested special arrangements to be made and to the clergy mentioned in section 4(2), episcopal functions specified in accordance with a Code of Practice issued under section 4.

(2) Any parish whose parochial church council has requested such arrangements to be made and has not rescinded its request is referred to in this Measure as a "petitioning parish."

4 Code of Practice

(1) The House of Bishops shall draw up, and promulgate, guidance in a Code of Practice containing special arrangements for the exercise of episcopal functions in petitioning parishes and, in particular, as to—

(a) the celebration of the sacraments and other divine service,

(b) pastoral care;

(c) disciplinary matters and, in particular, the identity of those responsible for exercising disciplinary functions;

(d) appointments of clergy in petitioning parishes;

(e) ministerial review and development of the clergy in petitioning parishes;

(f) the sponsorship of candidates for ordination training from petitioning parishes;

(g) the appointment, consecration and authorisation of complementary bishops holding the suffragan sees nominated under section 3(1); and

(h) consultation and co-operation between diocesan and complementary bishops on specified matters; and

(i) procedures for petitioning parishes to make and rescind requests for special arrangements for the exercise of episcopal functions.

(2) Any Code of Practice issued under this section may also make special provision for clergy, deaconesses, readers and lay workers, whether in petitioning or other parishes, who are conscientiously unable to accept—

(a) a woman as the incumbent or priest-in-charge of a benefice or as team vicar for a benefice, or

(b) a woman as the minister who presides at or celebrates the Holy Communion or pronounces the Absolution, or

(c) the ministry of a woman as a bishop, or

(d) the ministry of a man ordained by a bishop who is a woman.

(3) A Code of Practice may make different provision for different circumstances, including different provision for different persons or groups of persons and for different parishes.

(4) Subject to subsection (5), episcopal functions for which a Code of Practice may make provision under subsection (1) may be exercised —

(a) by the holder of a suffragan see selected under section 3(1) who is a man;

(b) any suffragan bishop, whether or not that bishop holds a see in the diocese in question, who is a man

(c) a stipendiary assistant bishop of the diocese in question who is a man; or

(d) any diocesan bishop of another diocese who is a man.

(5) Any person who is selected to exercise episcopal functions under subsection (4) (a) or (d) shall, if he has not already done so, make a declaration under section 2.

(6) Before selecting a bishop to exercise episcopal functions under subsection (4) the diocesan bishop shall consult the parochial church council of the petitioning parish in respect of which the episcopal functions are to be exercised and that council may require the functions to be exercised by the suffragan bishop mentioned in subsection (4) (a).

(7) Any person exercising episcopal functions under subsection (4) shall be known as a complementary bishop.

(8) The House of Bishops may include in a Code of Practice such other provisions as appear to it to be appropriate to give effect to this section.

(9) The House of Bishops may amend or replace any Code issued under subsection (1) by a further Code of Practice issued in accordance with this section.

(10) A Code of Practice shall be laid in draft before the General Synod and, if it is approved by the General Synod, whether with or without amendment, the draft Code shall be referred to the House of Bishops.

(11) Where a draft Code of Practice is referred to the House of Bishops under subsection (10) then—

(a) if it has been approved by the General Synod without any amendment, the House of Bishops shall issue the Code;

(b) if it has been approved by the General Synod with amendment, the House of Bishops may either —

(i) make the Code as so amended, or
(ii) withdraw the Code for further consideration in view of any amendment by the General Synod,

and the Code shall not come into force until it has been issued by the House of Bishops.

(12) Where the Business Committee of the General Synod determines that a Code of Practice does not need to be debated by the General Synod then, unless —

(a) notice is given by a member of the General Synod in accordance with its Standing Orders that he or she wishes the Code to be debated, or

(b) notice is given by any such member that he or she wishes to move an amendment to the Code,

the Code shall, for the purposes of subsection (10) or (11) be deemed to have been approved by the General Synod without amendment.

(13) Any person who discharges any functions shall be under a duty to have regard to any Code of Practice issued under this section.

5 Interpretation

In this Measure "the commencement date" means the day appointed, under section 7(2) for the coming into force of this Measure and "functions" means any functions exercisable under any Measure or other enactment or any Canon or other instrument and includes powers and duties.

6 Repeals

The enactments mentioned in Schedule 1 are repealed to the extent specified in the second column of the Schedule.

7 Citation, commencement and extent

(1) This Measure may be cited as the Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure 20......

(2) This Measure shall come into force on such day as the Archbishops of Canterbury and York may jointly appoint and different days may be appointed for different provisions.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section this Measure shall extend to the whole of the provinces of Canterbury and York except the Channel Islands.

(4) This Measure may be applied to the Channel Islands, as defined in the Channel Islands (Church Legislation) Measure 1931 and 1957, or either of them, in accordance with those Measures.

[(5) This Measure shall apply to the Isle of Man in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 2.]

SCHEDULE

REPEALS