Updated to correct number of abstentions in house of laity
Updated to add texts of the following motions
Bath and Wells diocesan synod debated the women bishops legislation today.
The main motion, in favour of the legislation, was passed in all three houses. Here are the voting figures.
For Against Abstentions Bishops 2 0 0 Clergy 52 9 0 Laity 55 10 3
Twitter reports “Following [motion] on Archbishops’ amendment failed Following [motion] encouraging early Code passed”.
Here are the texts of the two following motions.
That this synod [ie the diocesan synod] request the General Synod to debate a motion in the following form:
That this synod [ie the General Synod] call upon the House of Bishops, in exercise of its powers under standing order 60(b), to amend the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure in the manner proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York at the Revision Stage for the draft Measure.
[defeated 21 votes to 100]This Synod, supportive of women in the episcopate, urges General Synod to expedite the production of the Code of Practice by the House of Bishops and to take seriously its role in debating and approving the contents with due regard to those who find the consecration of women to the episcopate unacceptable.
[passed]
Can anyone decode ‘motion encouraging early code passed’? Is this about the Code of Practice, which of course, could turn into another Act of Synod (i.e. invented after the main legislation has been debated and passed and in practice significantly altering what the Synod thought it had just passed) if we aren’t careful.
At Bath And Wells it was voted through in the spirit of ‘let’s get on with it’ ie. not letting the Code of Practice become another complicated stalling technique.
It beats me how anyone can vote about a Code of Practice when no-one knows what form it will take !