c. 1998 Religion News Service

LONDON _ Opponents of women priests in the Church of England have taken another step toward establishing themselves as a separate Anglican province, preparing for the moment the Anglican denomination ordains women as bishops.”It is hard to see how those opposed to women’s ordination could be expected to accept or continue in office in a college of bishops which contained women whose priestly and episcopal orders they could neither respect nor accept,”said a paper adopted by the assembly of Forward in Faith, the movement which links Church of England opponents of women priests.

The proposed position paper takes the movement one step closer to establishing itself as a separate jurisdiction which would function independently of the Church of England.

The movement’s actions are closely watched by dissidents in the U.S. Episcopal Church, which has also made some movements toward separation from the denomination and toward forming a separate Anglican jurisdiction.

Unlike the Church of England, the Episcopal Church already includes women among its bishops.

At present the English dissidents already do form a virtually separate”church within church”in the Church of England, being ministered to by three”flying bishops,”formally known as provincial episcopal visitors, who conduct ordinations and other episcopal functions.

In addition, they have their own network of parishes and regional deans. And there are some diocesan and suffragan bishops who remain opposed to women priests.

But the new position paper adopted by the dissident movement, meeting Sept. 26, said the introduction of women as bishops would make it more difficult for opponents of women clergy to remain connected to the Church of England. The paper will be circulated within the movement for comment and possible revision.

Any change in the Church of England’s current stance, which permits the ordination of women to the priesthood but not the episcopacy, would require a legislative change by the church’s general synod and acceptance by Parliament.

Archdeacon Judith Rose of Tonbridge has proposed beginning such a process, asking the House of Bishops to examine the issues involved in women and the episcopate.

If her proposal _ known as a private member’s motion _ collects enough signatures to reach the top of the list of private members’ motions, it will be debated by the general synod _ possibly as early as next July, though more likely in November 1999.

The motion asks the bishops to report back to the synod within two years, which means it would probably be the year 2001 before legislation could be introduced to the synod.

To pass through all its stages, the legislation would need about three years, and before it could come into effect both Houses of Parliament would need to give their approval.

This suggests that it is remotely possible that the Church of England could have a woman bishop in 2008, when the next Lambeth Conference _ the worldwide gathering of all the bishops of the Anglican Communion _ meets.

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