LONDON: The General Synod of the Church of England on Monday voted to ditch legal obstacles preventing the ordination of women as bishops.The Synod, meeting in the northern English city of York, had been debating the controversial issue since Friday as they moved towards allowing female bishops 11 years on from the ordination of the first women priests, following a long campaign which divided the body.

The Bishop of Southwark, the Right Reverend Tom Butler, proposed the motion which won the support of 41 bishops with six opposed, while 167 clergy members backed the resolution with 46 against.

The leader of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, addressed the forum prior to the vote which saw those in favour win the day amid bitter opposition from traditionalists, who argued there was no biblical precedent as Christ’s apostles were all male.

Tom Butler told the 500 delegates that women bishops had been openly in ministry in the Anglican Communion for 17 years.

The Bishop concluded: “The Church of England, Catholic and Reformed, has before acted prophetically for the wider Church vernacular liturgy, married clergy have all been pioneered by our Church and have proved to be a blessing to other communions also. The same I believe will be true of women’s orders which we are pioneering.”—AFP