FiF's Report on Women Bishops published

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FiF's Report on Women Bishops published
Oct 8, 2004

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Bishop Kallistos Ware, Fr Sam Philpott SSC, Bishop John Broadhurst SSC, Fr Beau Brandie SSC, Fr Aidan Nichols OP (Photo: Nick Spurling)

The Report of Forward in Faith’s Shadow Working Party on Women in the Episcopate, edited by Fr Jonathan Baker SSC, Principal of Pusey House, Oxford, and jointly published today by Canterbury Press & Forward in Faith, falls into three parts: in Part 1, a group of theologians reflect upon the theology of the episcopate; in Part 2, a group of canon lawyers examine the legal ramifications of the consecration of women as bishops; and in Part 3 are published a number of the Papers submitted to the Working Party.

The Archbishop of York

The book also contains a Foreword by the Archbishop of York, in which he writes:

‘There are here some formidable contributions which make for serious theological thinking and reflection which should be a timely signal to the Church of England not to move forward over-hastily towards any legislation but rather further to ponder and pray.’

The Bishop of Fulham

In his Preface, the Bishop of Fulham provides a careful survey of the entire history of ordination of women debate since the 1980s. He concludes by asking:

‘The choice facing us all is stark: are we to engage upon an endless war of attrition which harms the gospel …or do we have the generosity and charity to give each other the space we all need?’

PART 1: WOMEN BISHOPS –

A THEOLOGICAL ENQUIRY

In 1975 the General Synod voted that ‘this Synod considers that there are no fundamental objections to the ordination of women to the priesthood’. But a Synodical vote does not and cannot decide matters of theological truth – or for that matter the truth of anything.

Consecrated Women? seeks to set out objections which are fundamental, and which the General Synod and the Church at large must take seriously.

It argues from first principles. This is not an attempt to counter the arguments of those in favour, but rather to defend the unvaried tradition of the Catholic Church – the consistent Christian tradition based on the free, sovereign and gracious action of the incarnate Son of God, who based the ministry of his church on the twelve men whom he appointed as his Apostles.

Much of what has been said in favour of the ordination of women both as priests and bishops implicitly or explicitly questions the authority of scripture. This report is written in the confidence that the basic imagery of the scriptures is a reliable guide to the mind of God in this and others important matters.

The report was commissioned by Forward in Faith at the invitation of Archbishop George Carey. From the beginning it had significant contributions from the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in the persons of Bishop Kallistos Ware and Fr Aidan Nichols OP, appointed by the Archbishop of Thyateira & Great Britain and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster respectively.

The report considers the significance in this debate of:

The Fatherhood of God
Incarnation and Headship
Bridegroom and Bride
Priesthood and Sacrifice
The nature of ministry in the Early Church
The history of the Episcopate in the Church of England

In addition to asking fundamental questions about the ordination of women as priests and bishop in relation to the doctrines of God, Christ and the Church, the report reminds the Church of England of the solemn undertakings given to those who share the views expressed in the report that they have an assured, respected and permanent place in her life.

And it asks what confidence anyone could have in the rightness of the consecration of women bishops against the background of the settled mind of the great Latin Church of the West, the unvarying practice of the Christian East and the division between provinces and within provinces of the Anglican Communion itself.

PART 2: WOMEN BISHOPS -

THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE CHURCH

When the Church of England voted to have women priests, safeguards were enacted for those who could not accept them. These allow Parochial Church Councils to pass resolutions:

to prevent a woman priest from celebrating the Holy Communion or pronouncing the absolution of sins in the parish.
to prevent a woman from becoming incumbent (vicar or rector) of the parish.
to ensure that the parish receives care from a bishop who does not ordain women priests. It is under this provision that many parishes receive the ministrations of a Provincial Episcopal Visitor (often called a ‘flying bishop’).

If the Church of England decides to ordain women as bishops these safeguards will no longer be sufficient to protect those who cannot accept women priests and bishops because:

No priests (male or female) ordained by a women bishop will be recognised as priests by those who cannot accept women bishops.
No bishop (male or female) consecrated by a woman archbishop would be recognised as a bishop by those who cannot accept women bishops.
A priest who could not accept women bishops would be unable to take the oath of canonical obedience to a women bishop, or to a male bishop who chose to act collegially with a woman bishop. This would prevent him being instituted or licensed to any parish or chaplaincy in any diocese where the diocesan bishop affirmed the ministry of women bishops.

We therefore propose that the Church of England should establish a new province for those unable to accept women priests and bishops and have drafted a Measure to be passed by the General Synod, which would bring this about. The principal features of this new province are:

The new province would not have women priests or women bishops serving within it. The provinces of Canterbury and York would then of course be free to have women priests and bishops serving throughout without restriction.
Parishes would decide whether or not to be part of the new province by a vote of the parochial church council. A decision to enter the new province would not be a ‘once and for all’ decision but could be reviewed after five years. Similarly parishes which did not initially join the new province would be free to join it at any time.
The new province would be part of the Church of England and the rights of parishioners to attend public worship, to be baptised, married or buried would remain the same as now. Similarly the Book of Common Prayer would be available for use in the new province.
The three Provincial Episcopal Visitors (or ‘flying bishops’), together with clergy of parishes to which they minister, would automatically serve in the new province (unless they declined to do so). Other bishops and clergy would be free to serve in the new province, but they would have to resign their positions in the Province of Canterbury or York.
The new province would not be subject to the General Synod but would have its own Provincial Synod with similar powers to pass laws and rules.

Click Here to listen to three comments on Consecrated Women?
... from Fr Sam Philpott SSC ... Fr James Patrick SSC ... Fr Jonathan Baker SSC

Read more in the latest issue of New Directions

Consecrated Women?

Edited by Jonathan Baker

A Joint Canterbury Press/

Forward in Faith Publication

Price: £12.99

ISBN: 1 85311509 6

Order it on line here.

Contents of Consecrated Women?

Foreword by the Archbishop of York

Preface by the Bishop of Fulham

Part One: Women Bishops - A Theological Enquiry

Introduction
The Breadth of the Task
The Fatherhood of God
Incarnation and Headship
Bridegroom and Bride
Priesthood and Sacrifice
Ministry in the Early Church
The Episcopate and the Church of England
Some commonplace arguments
Conclusion

Part Two: Women Bishops - The Way Forward for the Church

Introduction
Background
The Present Situation
Incorporating Women into the Episcopate of the Church of England
An Additional Province for the Church of England
Conclusion

Draft of a Measure to be passed by the General Synod of the Church of England

Draft Church of England (Additional Province) Measure: Explanatory Memorandum

Part Three: Some Papers submitted to the Working Party

The Bishop as Bridegroom of his Church: A Roman Catholic contribution - Aidan Nichols, OP
The Gender and Number of Bishops - John Hunwicke
Fatherhood, Headship and Tradition - Geoffrey Kirk
Women as Members of ‘Episcopal Teams’? - Martin Williams
The London Plan: An Experiment in Episcopal Care - John Broadhurst
The Work of Provincial Episcopal Visitors - Andrew Burnham

Appendix 1

Membership of the Theological Working Party

Those who gave evidence to the Theological Working Party

Membership of the Legal Working Party

Appendix 2

Forward in Faith’s Submission to the Rochester Commission on the theology of the ordination of women to the episcopate

Appendix 3

Reception and Communion: a paper written for the Rochester

Commission - David Houlding

Bibliography

Index of Biblical Texts

Index of Proper Names

Index of Subjects

Index of Statutes, Measures and Canons

Membership of the Theological Working Party:

The Reverend Jonathan Baker, MA, M.Phil.

Principal of Pusey House, Oxford

The Right Reverend John Broadhurst, DD, AKC, S.Th.

Bishop of Fulham

The Right Reverend Andrew Burnham, MA

Bishop of Ebbsfleet

The Reverend John Hunwicke, MA

sometime Head of Theology, Lancing College

The Reverend Dr Geoffrey Kirk, BA

Vicar of St Stephen and St Mark, Lewisham, Diocese of Southwark

Mrs Sara Low

Editor, New Directions

The Reverend Prebendary Sam Philpott

Vicar of St Peter, Plymouth; Priest in Charge of St Thomas, Keyham; Chairman of the House of Clergy, Diocese of Exeter (Convenor)

Ecumenical observers:

Fr Aidan Nichols, OP

Prior, Dominican Priory of St Michael, Cambridge

(nominated by His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster)

The Right Reverend Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia

Assistant Bishop, Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain

(nominated by His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain)

In attendance:

Dr Brian Hanson CBE, DCL, LL M, Solicitor and Ecclesiastical Notary

sometime Registrar and Legal Adviser to the General Synod of the Church of England; Chairman of the House of Laity, Diocese of Chichester (Legal Assessor)

Mr Stephen Parkinson

Director of Forward in Faith

Assessors to the Theological Working Party:

Mr Oswald Clark, CBE, BA, BD, LL M

sometime Chairman of the House of Laity, General Synod of the Church of England

Dr Mary Tanner

sometime Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity

Those who gave evidence to the Theological Working Party:

The Most Reverend the Archbishop of York

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Chichester

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Beverley

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Edmonton

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Horsham

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Lewes

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Pontefract

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Richborough

The Right Reverend the Bishop of Whitby

The Reverend Prebendary David Houlding

Vicar of St Stephen with All Hallows, Hampstead, Diocese of London; Chairman, Catholic Group in General Synod

The Reverend Canon Arthur Middleton

sometime Acting Principal, St Chad’s College, Durham

The Reverend John Richardson

Senior Assistant Minister, United Benefice of Henham, Elsenham and Ugley, Diocese of Chelmsford

The Venerable Martin Williams

lately Archdeacon of Morgannwg, Diocese of Llandaff

Membership of the Legal Working Party:

The Reverend Paul J. Benfield, LL B, B.Th., of Lincoln’s Inn, Barrister

Vicar of St Nicholas, Fleetwood, Diocese of Blackburn

The Reverend Canon Beaumont L. Brandie, BD, AKC

Team Rector of the Parish of the Resurrection, Brighton, Diocese of Chichester (Convenor)

Dr Brian Hanson CBE, DCL, LL M, Solicitor and Ecclesiastical Notary.

sometime Registrar and Legal Adviser to the General Synod of the Church of England; Chairman of the House of Laity, Diocese of Chichester

The Reverend James Patrick, LL B, of the Inner Temple, Barrister

Honorary Assistant Curate of All Saints with St John, Clifton, Diocese of Bristol

Mr Clifford Payton, BCL, MA, of the Inner Temple, Barrister

Churchwarden of the Parish of St Giles in Reading, Diocese of Oxford

The Reverend Jonathan Redvers Harris, LL B, LL M, Solicitor

Vicar of All Saints, Ryde, Diocese of Portsmouth

In attendance:

Mr Stephen Parkinson

Director of Forward in Faith

Assessors to the Legal Working Party:

Mr Oswald Clark, CBE, BA, BD, LL M

sometime Chairman of the House of Laity, General Synod of the Church of England

The Reverend Robin Ellis, BCL, MA

sometime Archdeacon of Plymouth

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