The Church in Wales will decide next week whether or not to allow women priests to be ordained as bishops.

A Bill, proposed by the six diocesan bishops of the church, will be voted on by members of the Church’s legislative body, the Governing Body, at the University of Wales, Lampeter, on Wednesday April 2.

If the Bill is passed it will become effective immediately as a canon law. It will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority in each of the three sections of the Governing Body – the House of Clergy, the House of Laity and the House of Bishops.

The process will start with a vote on proposed amendments to the Bill by the Governing Body in Committee. The Governing Body will then come out of Committee to vote on the Bill.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, says, “I do not personally see how having agreed to ordaining women to both the diaconate and priesthood the church can logically exclude women from the episcopate. That is why I and my fellow bishops will be asking members of the Governing body to vote in favour of the Bill.”

The whole Governing Body meeting is open to reporters and filming is allowed. The Bill will be introduced at 2pm and the debate may continue to the end of the afternoon or even the next morning.

The Bill and its proposed amendments, as well as the Agenda of the Governing Body meeting, are on the Church in Wales website at:

http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/govbody/apr08/index.html

NOTES

• The bill to allow women to be ordained as priests in the Church in Wales was passed in September 1996, with the first women being ordained in January 1997.
• There are 140 members of the Governing Body.
• Women can be ordained as bishops in the Anglican churches of Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
• The meeting will start on Tuesday with Sacred Synod at the University Chapel to confirm the election of the Very Rev John Davies as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon.
• The Archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, will give the President’s Address at 11am on April 2. The full text of this will be available to view on the Church in Wales website on April 2.

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