Church Vote Opens Door to Female Bishops

Vote raises fear of split as proposals are rejected that would have accommodated traditionalists The Church of England was thrown into turmoil last night over the issue of women bishops, as it rejected proposals that would have accommodated clergy strongly opposed to the historic change. In an emotional, sometimes bitter debate lasting more than seven hours, the General Synod voted against introducing separate structures and "superbishops", to oversee parishes opposed to women bishops, because they were seen as amounting to institutionalised discrimination. Instead, the 468 members narrowly agreed to the idea of introducing a national statutory code of practice, throwing out all compromises that would have appeased opponents of women bishops. A code of practice has yet to be fully explored, but will not satisfy the demands of... [read full story]