Update The rules for electing the regional representatives were amended on 14 June 2013. Full details are in my article here.
At its meeting of 7 February 2013 the House of Bishops decided that eight senior women clergy, elected regionally, will participate in all meetings of the House until such time as there are six female members of the House. The necessary changes to the House’s Standing Orders were made at its meeting in May 2013.
The rules for electing these Regional Representatives are online here as a Word document, and I have converted them into a webpage.
Also available is the official summary of decisions made by the House at its May meeting.
Further information about the House of Bishops is available here.
Great news! Except that the women won’t be there in September when the House of Bishops discusses possible arrangements for those who won’t accept women bishops. Surely, surely this electoral process can be sped up? Just change the dates…….I’m sure the women concerned could get themselves ready to vote by next week if the lawyers would let them?
Re the timetable for electing the female regional representatives to the House of Bishops, perhaps the Bishops would care to explain how the first election is to take place “by 1 October 2013” when the Regional Electors (who will comprise the Regional Electoral Colleges) are to hold office for a period of three years “beginning on 1 December 2013.”
Over-engineered by the lawyers. The putative electors could readily decide on six names straight away, doing it by email, and have then attend in September, replacing them with the six elected under the convoluted system later. I bet the final group would not be that much different.