http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20423664

The Church of England has "lost a measure of credibility" after rejecting the introduction of women bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

The Most Reverend Rowan Williams told the ruling general synod that the Church could be seen as "wilfully blind" to modern trends and priorities.

While 324 synod members voted for women bishops, Church voting rules mean 122 votes against were enough to block it.

However, the Archbishop of York said the principle had been accepted.

Dr Williams addressed the synod on Wednesday morning, the day after the ruling body had rejected legislation that would have paved the way for women bishops within two years.

He said: "The temptation to run around saying, 'What do we do? Who do we blame?' today is going to be strong. I hope that we will try and hold back from simple recrimination in all this.

"The work to do internally is considerable - but, it's tempting to say, that is as nothing compared with the work we have to do externally. We have, to put it very bluntly, a lot of explaining to do."


He went on: "Whatever the motivations for voting yesterday, whatever the theological principle on which people acted and spoke, the fact remains that a great deal of this discussion is not intelligible to our wider society - worse than that, it seems that we are wilfully blind to some of the trends and priorities in that wider society."

A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister thought there should be women bishops and was disappointed at the result of the vote, but that it was "a matter for the Church to decide".

I agree with women bishops but I still think it'll look a bit weird. Also if we get women bishops that will make it harder to join back with the Catholic church.

I hope they have all stopped 'menstruating' sporadically. . . that would not go well with all those 'flowing white gowns'!
Just some words of caution. . . .

If it's ok to have Nuns and female Priest, I see no reason why there should be no women Bishops.

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"We have taken this step, and we wish the Church of England 'God speed' as they deliberate this week,"
-Cape Town's Anglican archbishop said.

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has consecrated its first woman bishop in Africa.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20408199