From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


USA Bishops Endorse Mandatory Women's Ordination


From rollins@intac.com
Date 06 May 1996 06:09:56

9/29/95
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon James M. Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion News Service
157 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UT, England
Tel. 44 0171 620-1110    jim.rosenthal@ecunet.org
Fax 44 0171 620-1071

#734 ACC

USA Bishops Endorse Resolution Declaring Women's Ordination
Mandatory in All Dioceses

(ENS-Episcopal News Service) In a strong signal that time is running
out for bishops who refuse to ordain women or permit them to operate
as priests in their dioceses, the bishops of the Episcopal Church
meeting in September voted overwhelmingly that equal access to
ordination for men and women is "mandatory" throughout the Church.

By a vote of 121 to 15, with 20 abstentions, the bishops adopted a
"mind of the house" statement Wednesday offered by a committee
appointed at last summer's General Convention in Indianapolis to
"promote dialogue and understanding and to discuss how the canon can
be implemented in every diocese of this Church."

While the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church voted that
canons on ordination should apply equally to men and women, the
bishops of four out of the 118 dioceses and jurisdictions currently
do not ordain women.

The 1997 General Convention still must adopt the actual canonical
language that would clarify the mandatory nature of the ordination
policy, but the bishops' vote was seen as a clear indication that
those changes are likely to be approved.



Browse month . . . Browse month (sort by Source) . . . Advanced Search & Browse . . . WFN Home