Welsh reject women bishops
The Church in Wales has rejected proposals to allow women priests to become bishops. The controversial bill was defeated by only three votes at the 140-member body meeting in Lampeter, despite being backed by the Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan.
Dr Morgan urged backing for the bill saying he could not see how women could logically be excluded from becoming bishops. Afterwards he spoke of his ‘great disappointment’.
The bill, proposed by six diocesan bishops, needed a two-thirds majority in each section of the governing body to take effect. Voting was split into three separate sections, the House of Laity, the House of Clerics and the House of Bishops. The House of Clerics missed the required two-thirds majority. The other houses attained the required minimum.
