British Proposal Would Authorize Women Bishops With Alternative "Complementary Bishops"

In Britain, the Church of England this week published the draft of proposed legislation that would for the first time permit women to become bishops in the Church of England. They may already be ordained as priests. Under the draft "Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure," male "complementary bishops" will be appointed to minister to those parishes unwilling to accept women bishops and priests. It also provides for the House of Bishops to adopt a Code of Practice setting out arrangements for functioning of complementary bishops. Yesterday's Spero News and today's Church Times report on the proposal. The report from the legislative drafting group and other primary source materials on the proposal are available from the Church of England website.