Parliament May Remove Ban On Women As Bishops In Church of England

In Britain, the think-tank Ekklesia says that a bill will be introduced into Parliament later this month that would permit the Church of England to consecrate women as bishops. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who was formerly a curate in the Church of England, will introduce the amendment to the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993. That Act currently permits the ordination of women as priests, but not as bishops. Parliament cannot force the Church to consecrate women, but eliminating the current legal prohibition on such ordinations would show House of Commons approval of the idea. A month ago, the General Synod of the Church of England overwhelmingly backed consideration of a compromise plan that could see the ordination of women bishops by 2012.