The legislation approving the change was passed unanimously in July and Monday’s vote rubber-stamped that change in the rules.
It brought England into line with other
Anglican Churches around the world, as there were women bishops in
Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and the U.S..
Hilary Cotton, the Head of lobby group Women and the Church (Watch), said she would like to see women in a third of bishop’s posts.
She said “women make up around a third of the clergy in the Church of England.
“It is not just about having women wearing purple, it is about changing the culture of the Church to be more equal.’’
Women becoming bishops had caused problems in the Anglican Church in recent years, along with the issue of gay marriage.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby,
who is the Head of the Anglican Church, said of the July vote that it
had started a “great adventure of seeking mutual flourishing while
still, in some cases, disagreeing.’’
Reform, a conservative lobby group
within the Anglican Church, said a quarter of the 80 million Anglicans
would be unhappy “if the divine order of male headship’’ swept aside the
Monday vote.
Reform Director, Susie Leafe, said “it
is a shame that in moving forward on this, the needs of the whole Church
of England have not been fully recognised.’’
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