HOUSE OF BISHOPS
The Bishop of Peterborough to reply on behalf of the Chairman
The Revd Jonathan Baker (Oxford) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q14 What attempts has the House of Bishops so far made to seek the views of other episcopal churches about the proposal to admit women to the historic episcopate?
Mr Martin Dales (York) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q15 Have all our ecumenical friends been consulted and given sufficient time for their theological reflection on the report Women Bishops in the Church of England, only published last autumn?
Mrs Margaret Tilley (Canterbury) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q16 Why has the House of Bishops thought it appropriate to invite the Synod to take a decision of principle whether or not to ordain women as bishops before receiving any responses from our ecumenical partners?
Mr James Cheeseman (Rochester) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q17 What attempts has the House of Bishops so far made to seek the views of other episcopally led churches about the possibility of ordaining women to the historic episcopate?
Mrs Mary Nagel (Chichester) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q18 Has there been any correspondence on behalf of the House with the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity on the possible inclusion of women in the episcopate since the publication of the Rochester Report?
Mrs Maryon Jägers (Europe) to ask the Chairman of the House of Bishops:
Q19 Given that the Rochester Working Party recommended that the Anglican Communion be invited to make responses to its report, what steps have been taken to elicit those responses and with what results?
Answer:
With permission, Madam Chairman, I should like to answer the questions from the Revd Jonathan Baker, Mr Dales, Mrs Tilley, Mr Cheeseman, Mrs Nagel, and Mrs Jägers together.
The House of Bishops proposed in February that the Synod should have the opportunity at this group of sessions to decide whether it wished to start down the legislative road to enable women to become bishops. In making that proposal, which the Synod accepted, the House had been mindful of the diocesan synod motions already passed on the subject. What decisions if any to take now will of course be for the Synod itself to determine on Monday.
As to ecumenical views, a Methodist and a Roman Catholic served on the Rochester Working Party. Our ecumenical partners and other Provinces of the Anglican Communion were indeed sent copies of the report Women Bishops in the Church of England? [GS1557] on its publication last year and were invited to submit a response. Some ecumenical partner churches have now done so (and copies are available for inspection at the Information Desk); other responses are awaited.
“As to ecumenical views, a Methodist and a Roman Catholic served on the Rochester Working Party.”
I’m just guessing: the Methodist response (or those of other Protestant episcopal churches, like some Lutherans) was not the one that the questioners were interested in. ;-/
This is hardly a considered ecumenical response, and he does not even tell us what those two participants themselves had to say.
THIS WHOLE DEBATE ABOUT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF WOMEN AS EQUAL MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S BODY, THE CHURCH, MUST APPEAR TO THE SECULAR WORLD AS WHOLLY IRRELEVANT TO ITS PROBLEMS – MORE LIKE THE MEDIAEVAL DEBATES ABOUT HOW MANY ANGELS COULD DANCE ON THE POINT OF A NEEDLE.IT BRINGS THE GOSPEL AND THE CHURCH INTO DISREPUTE. THE LOSS OF PEOPLE LIKE BP.BURNHAM AND OTHERS TO THE ROMAN CHURCH WOULD BE LITTLE LOSS TO US – AND DOES THE ROMAN CHURCH WANT THEM? THE WOMEN WOULD BE MORE THAN EQUAL TO THEM.IN THE EYES OF THE VATICAN AND ITS STATED THEOLOGY THEY ARE… Read more »
The honest answer to the question whether we have consulted other episcopally governed ecclesial; bodies, that is ti say RC and Orthodox, is no!
The Cof E proclaims itself to be”….part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church..” unless it suits it not to. Likewise, Bishops in the CofE say they are part of the collegial body of bishops in the two great Catholic Chufches of East and West until such time as it suits them not to be. Which is most of the time really.