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| Church of England women bishops Source: Church Militant |
When the Church of England formally approved plans for women bishops the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: "Today we can begin to embrace a new way of being the church and moving forward together. We will also continue to seek the flourishing of the church of those who disagree."
Hilary Cotton, the then chairwoman of Women and the Church (WATCH), said she would like to see women ultimately make up a third of bishops, around 40 posts, "in order to make a difference".
They certainly have.
Mutual flourishing of those who disagree soon flew out of the church window.
Now Church Militant reports that "Nineteen prelates, including five women bishops, abstained from a pro-life vote as Britain's House of Lords voted 355–77 to approve the government's extreme abortion regime in Northern Ireland.
"Bishops Sarah Mullally (London), Rachel Treweek (Gloucester), Vivienne Faull (Bristol), Christine Hardman (Newcastle) and Elizabeth Lane (Derby) belong to the cohort of 26 Church of England bishops who sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual.
"Seven male bishops, shamed by a previous Church Militant exposé, voted against the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No 2) Regulations statutory instrument on Monday.
"Even though the House of Bishops at the Church of England's General Synod stated in February that 98.3% of abortions in the United Kingdom are immoral, only Apb. Justin Welby (Canterbury) and Bps. Paul Butler (Durham), Christopher Cocksworth (Coventry), Timothy Dakin (Winchester), Julian Henderson (Blackburn), Donald Allister (Peterborough) and James Newcome (Carlisle) voted pro-life in Parliament.
"'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?' asks the prophet Isaiah. The answer appears to be yes, if she happens to be a bishop in the Church of England," lamented Dave Brennan, director of pro-life Brephos.
""One argument for having bishops with 'real-life experience' is that they can apparently bring their insights to bear on 'real-life' issues," Brennan noted. "But that hasn't happened with bishop of London Sarah Mullally who, despite having been a midwife and the U.K.'s chief nursing officer, is mum on abortion."
"One argument for having these 'Lords Spiritual' — and indeed an established church — is that they can be the moral conscience of the nation. If this is the caliber of our 'conscience' as a nation, it is no wonder we are plunging into such dissipation," he added. "
Not a difference one might have expected!
In theory I don't disagree with women bishops necessarily, in practice they've not been at all inspiring - this is especially true in Wales. Maybe my theology was wrong after all?
ReplyDeleteWith shepherds like these who needs wolves? They are one of the reasons why Anglicans have joined the Ordinariate.
ReplyDeleteIt has occurred to me that if each one of them were to have a "short back and sides" then without exception they would all look like men. A typical Anglican compromise! There is nothing wrong with Whamab's theology.
ReplyDeleteJesus weeps still.
ReplyDeleteThink you'll find it's the women who weep (Fr)David - you not familiar with the stations of the cross? If you are then you'll note that Jesus consoled the women. How well do you console women?
DeleteWeep not for me but for yourselves... consolation?
DeleteClearly a case of career women yes, but Bishops?? I don't recognise this as the Church I once knew.
ReplyDeleteLW
I think that transforming the church so that it's no longer recognizable as the church we once knew was the deliberate intention, and still is an integral part of the agenda.
DeleteI'm so struck by how removed this blog is - and the majority of its contributors - from Jesus' and his relationship with women.
ReplyDeleteChrist, in his lifetime, carved out a tradition of taking women seriously, listening to them, learning from them and emulating them. Which of us isn't moved during the stations of the cross when Jesus stops and consoles the women of Jerusalem (traditionally the eighth station). Can we not see his concern, respect and empathy for womankind? His friendship, tenderness, time and deep love? Christ called women to witness to him - and they were the first of his witnesses at his resurrection.
How shameful is this website – it offends women (and men for that matter) in that it asks them to be content to make tea, arrange flowers and polish the brass. No wonder the women wept back then just as I weep when I read the offensive and patriarchal intransigence of this website.