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Act of Synod

Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993

Passed by the General Synod to make provision for the continuing diversity of opinion in the Church of England as to the ordination and ministry of women as priests, and for related matters. Whereas:

The Church of England through its synodical processes has given final approval to a Measure to make provision for the ordination of women to the priesthood.

The bishop of each diocese continues as the ordinary of his diocese;

The General Synod regards it as desirable that

1. all concerned should endeavour to ensure that

   1. discernment of the rightness or otherwise of the

   2. decision to ordain women to the priesthood should be as open a process aspossible;

   3. the highest possible degree of communion should be maintained within each diocese; and

   4. the integrity of differing beliefs and positions concerning the ordination of women to the priesthood should be mutually recognised and respected;

2. the practical pastoral arrangements contained in this Act of Synod should have effect in each diocese.

Now it is hereby declared as follows:

Ordinations and Appointments

1     Except as provided by the Measure and this Act no person or body shall discriminate against candidates either for ordination or for appointment to senior office in the Church of England on the grounds of their views about the ordination of women to the priesthood.

Appropriate Arrangements

2     Three types of arrangements may be made in order to provide an appropriate ministry for those who are opposed, namely

  (a)   diocesan arrangements to be made by the diocesan bishop in accordance with section 3 below;

  (b)   regional arrangements to be made by the diocesan bishops of each region in accordance with section 4 below;

  (c)   provincial arrangements to be made by the archbishop of the province in accordance with section 5 below.

Diocesan Arrangements

3     The Diocesan bishop will make arrangements so far as possible within his own diocese for appropriate care and oversight for clergy and parishes in the diocese.

Regional Arrangements

4   (1)   Wherever possible the diocesan bishops of each region acting jointly shall from time to time nominate from within their region for the purpose of this Act of Synod one or more bishops who are opposed.

  (2)   Each bishop so nominated shall in addition to his other duties, be approved by the archbishop of the province to carry out for any parish in the region such Episcopal duties as the diocesan bishop concerned may request.

  (3)   In subsection (1) above, except where the context otherwise requires, ‘bishop’ means a diocesan, suffragan bishop, or a full-time stipendiary assistant bishop, serving in the region in question.

Provincial Arrangements

5   (1)   The Archbishop of Canterbury shall from time to time take steps to secure the appointment of up to two additional suffragan bishops for his diocese to act as provincial episcopal visitors for the purposes of this Act of Synod in the province of Canterbury.

  (2)   The Archbishop of York shall from time to time take steps to secure the appointment of one additional suffragan bishop for his diocese to act as a provincial episcopal visitor for the purposes of this Act of Synod in the province of York.

  (3)   Each provincial episcopal visitor shall be commissioned by the archbishop of the province concerned to carry out, or cause to be carried out, for any parish in his province such episcopal duties, in addition to his other duties, as the diocesan bishop concerned may request. The provincial episcopal visitor will work with the diocesan bishop concerned in enabling extended pastoral care and sacramental ministry to be provided.

  (4)   Each provincial visitor will act as spokesman and adviser for those who are opposed to the ordination of women to the priesthood and will assist the archbishops in monitoring the operation of this Act of Synod.

6     Where a vacancy occurs in the office of provincial episcopal visitor, the archbishop of the province concerned shall, before taking the steps referred to in section 5 above to secure the appointment of an additional suffragan bishop, consult the other episcopal visitor and all other bishops who are directly concerned in his ministry.

Parochial church council petition

7   (1)   Subject to subsection (2) below where a Resolution set out in Schedule 1 to the Measure is in force, a decision may be taken by the parochial church council of the parish concerned to petition the diocesan bishop concerned to the effect that appropriate episcopal duties in the parish should be carried out in accordance with this Act of Synod.

  (2)   Subsection (1) shall not apply in relation to a parish in which there is a parish church cathedral.

8   (1)   Subject to section 10 below, on receiving any such petition the diocesan bishop shall, either personally or through his representative, consult with the minister and the parochial church council of the parish concerned; and having done so he shall make appropriate arrangements for episcopal duties to be carried out in the parish in accordance with this Act of Synod.

  (2)   Where any such arrangements are made or proposed, the parochial church council concerned may seek the advice of the provincial episcopal visitor in connection with the matter.

9   (1)   Where a parochial church council has presented a petition in accordance with section 7 above, the council may at any time jointly take a further decision for the withdrawal of the petition; and, subject to section 10 below, upon the withdrawal of the petition the diocesan bishop concerned shall ensure that any arrangements in pursuance thereof are cancelled.

  (2)   Where a parochial church council has presented such a petition, the council shall review the working of any arrangements in force in pursuance thereof at least once in every period of five years.

10     Where a parochial church council has presented or withdrawn a petition in accordance with section 7 or 9 above the diocesan bishop concerned is not satisfied that -

  (a)   except where notice of a vacancy has been sent to the secretary of the council under section 7(4) of the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986, the secretary of the council gave to the members of the council at least four weeks’ notice of the time and place of the meeting at which the motion proposing the resolution is to be considered;

  (b)   the meeting is attended by at least one half of the members of the council entitled to attend; and

  (c)   at least two thirds of the members of the council present and voting were in favour of the resolution.

  (d)   the minister was in favour of the resolution in question, whether or not he was present and voted, he shall not be obliged to make arrangements of the kind mentioned in section 8 above or to cancel any such arrangements, but he may do so if he thinks fit.

Ordination etc. by the archbishop or his commissary

11   (1)   Subject to subsections (2) and (3) below, where the bishop of the diocese has indicated that he is opposed and, in case of a bishop in office at the relevant date, that he is unwilling to make a declaration under section 2 of the Measure, the ordination to the priesthood of women from the diocese and their licensing and institution shall be carried out by the archbishop concerned, either personally or through a bishop acting as his commissary; and the archbishop shall cause the archiepiscopal seal to be affixed to any documents that are needed for that purpose.

  (2)   The archbishop shall act under subsection (1) above either at the request of the diocesan bishop concerned or in pursuance of his metropolitical jurisdiction, but shall not so act unless he is satisfied that the diocesan bishop concerned has no objection.

  (3)   Subsection (1) above shall not apply where the bishop of a diocese has made arrangements for the ordination of women to the priesthood and their licensing and institution to be carried out by another bishop.

Interpretation

12   (1)   In this Act of Synod -

    ‘the Measure’ means the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993;

    'minister' has the same meaning as in the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991;

    'parish church cathedral' has the same meaning as in Part II of the Measure;

    ‘provincial episcopal visitor’ means a suffragan bishop appointed as such in pursuance of section 5 above;

    ‘region’ means an area, comprising two or more dioceses in a province, which is designated by the archbishop of the province as a region for the purposes of this Act of Synod;

    'relevant Canon' means the Canon of the Church of England enabling a woman to be ordained to the office of priest;

    'relevant date' means the date on which the relevant Canon is promulged;

    ‘senior office’ means any of the following offices, that is to say, archbishop, diocesan bishop, suffragan bishop, dean or provost of a cathedral church, archdeacon and residentiary canon in a cathedral church.

  (2)   This Act of Synod shall apply in relation to a guild church designated and established under section 4 of the City of London (Guild Churches) Act 1952 as it applies in relation to a parish, but as if the references to the parochial church council of the parish were references to the guild church council of the guild church and the references to the minister were references to the vicar of the guild church.

  (3)   Any arrangements made under sections 2 to 5 above and any action taken under section 11 above by an archbishop in connection with the ordination of women to the priesthood, shall be without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop concerned.

Citation and commencement

13     This Act of Synod may be cited as the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993 and shall come into force on the coming into force of the Measure.