Proposed legislation that would have paved the way for the ordination of women bishops failed by a narrow margin of votes in the House of Laity yesterday (November 20th 2012).
Despite overwhelming support in the parishes and after a 12-year legal process, which had secured backing in all but two of the 44 dioceses, the move was denied final approval by just six votes.
There will now almost certainly be calls in Parliament for the Church of England’s exemption from equality legislation, which effectively allows it to discriminate against women by barring them from becoming bishops, to be removed, opening the way for women to bring a legal challenge.
If this is successful, it could lead to women becoming bishops without any of the arranged safeguards for traditionalists agreed by the Synod and an emergency meeting on the issue is being held today to decide what to do next.
Both the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and the Rt Rev Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, who will become Archbishop next year, are said to be unhappy about the way the vote went.
Although it is 20 years since the Church decided to ordain women as priests, with women making up around a third of all clergy, the dispute hinged on arrangements that would need to be made when a female bishop is appointed but traditionalist parishes reject her authority.
The Church was due to vote on the change in July, but the discussion was adjourned without a vote after supporters of women bishops objected to a concession proposed for opponents, which was an amendment to the draft law allowing parishes that do not accept women bishops to request a male bishop who shares their beliefs.