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[Daphne Mack <dmack@dfms.org>]

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Kathryn McCormick
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99-126

CHART:

ORDINATION OF WOMEN IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

No Women's Ordination

Central Africa; Jerusalem & Middle East; Korea
Melanesia; Nigeria; Papua New Guinea;South East Asia;
Tanzania

Diaconate Only

Indian Ocean(1); Southern Cone

Diaconate, Presbyterate (but not Episcopate)

Australie(2); Burundi; England(3); Hong Kong; Japan
Kenya; Philippines; Rwanda; Scotland; Uganda; Wales(4)
West Africa(5); West Indies(6)

Diaconate, Presbyterate and Episcopate

Brazil(7); Central America; Ireland(8); Japan; Mexico(9)
Southern Africa(10)

Women Bishops de facto

Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia; Canada(11); USA(12)

No information is available from Congo, Myanmar or Sudan

(1) Only in one diocese in the Province.

(2) Ordination of women to the presbyterate was passed by the 
General Synod but such matters must be adopted by each individual 
diocese before becoming operative. 13 of the 23 diocese currently 
ordain women as priests. Some dioceses agree in principle but 
have not in fact acted. Ordination of women to the episcopate was 
specifically excluded by the General Synod.

(3) Legislation enabling the ordination of women to the presbyterate 
specifically prohibits the consecration of women to the 
episcopate. The ministry of men or women, deacons or presbyters, 
ordained by a woman bishop in other Provinces is not recognised. 
There is provision of extended episcopal oversight including 
through the ministry of three specially appointed Provincial 
Episcopal Visitors who exercise their ministry at the invitation 
of and on the authority of the diocesan bishop.

(4) Extended episcopal oversight is provided for those parishes who 
are opposed to the ordination of women.

(5) Provincial Synod gave approval for the ordination of women to 
the presbyterate by dioceses who were ready for it. At present 
there is no ordination of women to the presbyterste in 11 of the 
13 dioceses.

(6) Ordination of women to the presbyterate was passed by Provincial 
Synod, but two dioceses have not voted in favour of the 
ordination of women either to the diaconste or the presbyterate.

(7) Women bishops are canonically possible, but none are ordained
as yet.

(8) Women bishops are canonically possible, but none are ordained
as yet.

(9) Women bishops are canonically possible, but none are ordained
as yet.

(10) Women bishops are canonically possible, but none are ordained 
as yet.

(11) A conscience clause protecting the sensitivities of those 
opposed to the ordination of women was in effect from 1975 to 
1986.

(12) The enabling canon for the ordination of women to the 
presbyterate and the episcopate applies to all diocese. Informal
episcopal arrangements can be made to protect the conscience of 
an individual bishop.