24 May 2012
The six Officers of the General Synod (the Archbishops, Dr
Philip Giddings, the Venerable Christine Hardman, Mr Tim Hind and
Canon Glyn Webster) met this afternoon. Their task was not to
consider the merits of the two amendments made by the House of
Bishops to the draft Women Bishops Legislation but to determine
whether they had altered the 'substance of the proposals embodied
in the legislation which had already been approved last year by 42
of the Church of England's 44 dioceses. Any such alteration
necessitates a further reference to the dioceses before the
legislation can come to the Synod for consideration at the Final
Approval stage.
Having received legal advice they determined, by a majority, that
the amendments made did not constitute such an alteration. The next
steps are for the Officers of the House of Laity and the
Convocations of Canterbury and York to decide whether to ask for
the legislation to be referred to those bodies for consideration
immediately before the Synod meets in York in July. They have no
power to amend the legislation but their approval by simple
majorities is required before the Final Approval debate in Synod
can happen. In addition the Business Committee of the Synod will
meet tomorrow to decide when to schedule the Final approval debate
in July.
The Synod has no power to amend the legislation further but can
adjourn the Final Approval debate and invite the House of Bishops
to reconsider the amendments that they have made. If such an
adjournment motion were passed the House would have to meet
again-and would at that point have power to make further
amendments- before the Final Approval debate was resumed. An
adjournment motion in July would mean that the further meeting of
the House and the resumption of the Final Approval debate would
have to happen at a later date. The earliest that the General Synod
might be able to conclude the Final Approval Stage in that
eventuality would, therefore, be in November.
Notes
For background to Group of Six and House of Bishops' amendments see
http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/05/house-of-bishops-approves-women-bishops-legislation.aspx