Dr Rowan Williams weakened by debate on women bishops

From The London Telegraph-

The General Synod of the Church of England, meeting in York last weekend, reaffirmed its intention to ordain women bishops. That in itself is no surprise. The Synod voted the same way this time last year, though final legislation is still some way off. What was extraordinary about the scenes in Synod on Saturday was the damage done to the authority of Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury – self-inflicted damage, for the most part.

It is not the job of this newspaper to advise the Church on whether it should ordain women bishops, though supporters of the move have a relatively easy case to make, given that it already ordains women priests. Likewise, it is not our business to argue for or against safeguards for Anglicans who cannot in good conscience worship in parishes that fall under the jurisdiction of a woman bishop. What we do note, however, is that in 2009 the General Synod voted against creating a Church within a Church that would have satisfied some traditionalists at the risk of turning women prelates into second-class bishops. As it turned out, however, the 2009 vote was not decisive. Worried by the prospect of an exodus to Rome, the Primates devised yet another, even messier, scheme – the one rejected on Saturday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7884708/Dr-Rowan-Williams-weakened-by-debate-on-women-bishops.html