{"id":31404,"date":"2014-07-13T07:02:43","date_gmt":"2014-07-13T07:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=31404"},"modified":"2014-07-13T07:02:43","modified_gmt":"2014-07-13T07:02:43","slug":"women-bishops-church-prepares-for-key-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/07\/women-bishops-church-prepares-for-key-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Women bishops: Church prepares for key vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Church of England’s ruling General Synod is preparing for a vote on whether to introduce women bishops.<\/p>\n
Members of the Synod will decide on Monday if the Church is to open its top jobs to both sexes 20 years after women were first ordained as priests.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the move have expressed cautious optimism it will succeed.<\/p>\n
A previous attempt to make the change failed by just six votes in November 2012. Two years on, the composition of the Synod is unchanged.<\/p>\n
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, said the Church “lost a measure of credibility” after the result.<\/p>\n
The proposal was passed in the Houses of Bishops and Clergy, but failed to gain the required two-thirds majority in the House of Laity, consisting of elected lay members.<\/p>\n
However, four of those who voted against it then have since said they will back the latest plans – potentially enough to swing the result.<\/p>\n