Women in the Episcopate
Women as Bishops?
Deanery Consultations
The Church of England's General Synod passed down to the Dioceses the proposed legislation for the introduction of female Bishops in the Church of England.
The proposal was to enable women to become Bishops on an equal footing with their male colleagues, yet at the same time to make provision for those within our church who cannot accept female Bishops.
Our task was to consider whether the proposed legislation achieves both these intentions satisfactorily.
Our Diocesan Synod debate and vote took place in November 2011. In preparation for this debate, a series of deanery meetings was held throughout the Diocese between March and October 2011. These meetings were designed to help people to understand the content of the proposed legislation, to be able to explore its significance, and to allow their voices to be heard by Diocesan and General Synod members.
A summary document was prepared to enable the context and content of the General Synod proposals to be seen at a glance, it can be found here.
For more detailed information about the wording of the proposed legislation, the history behind it, and the process by which the legislation may or may not be accepted, see the General Synod papers here.
