Women bishops in Wales

The following letter is published in today's Church Times; you can read the accompanying report here.

From the Revd Alan Rabjohns and others

Sir, — We, being 101 clerics and ordinands, both male and female, in the Church in Wales, write to express our concern about the Bill to allow women to ordained as bishop, which is about to be considered by a Select Committee of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales.

When the Bill was published in July, we learned with dismay that specific requests to the Bench of Bishops for proper provision to enable those who in conscience cannot accept the ordination of women to the episcopate to remain as honoured members of the Church in Wales had been denied.

Instead, Clause 2 offers only a vague, non-defined indication of pastoral care and support from the same Bench of Bishops. Clause 3 leaves open the possibility of disciplinary action for not accepting the novelty; and the abandonment of exemptions under the civil law would leave us open to prosecution.

If the Bill were passed in its present form and unamended to provide constitutional provision, it would make it even more difficult for us serving as ordained clergy.

While holding them in our prayers at this difficult time, we respectfully ask the Select Committee and Governing Body to consider pastorally and seriously amendments placed before them to make the Bill able to promote the unity and peace of the Church in Wales, through which we all wish to continue to serve Christ in this land.

ALAN RABJOHNS
St Saviour’s Vicarage
115 Splott Road
Cardiff CF24 2BY

and

The Revd Colin Amos
The Revd Keith Andrews
The Revd Deacon Mark Zorab
The Revd Graham Canham
The Revd David Davies
The Revd Philip Wyn Davies
The Revd Canon Keith Dennison
The Revd Roy Doxsey
The Revd Jeffrey Gainer
The Revd Michael Gollop
The Revd Michael Gill
The Revd John Hughes
The Revd Chancellor Peter Jackson
The Revd Andrew Holmes
The Revd Canon Tudor Hughes
The Revd Hilary Jalland
The Revd Canon Peter Jones
The Revd Michael Keulemans
The Revd Graham Lloyd
The Revd Christopher Lewis-Jenkins
The Revd Edward Matthias-Jones
The Revd Mark Mesley
The Revd Glyn Price
The Revd Colin Sanderson
The Revd David Reed
The Revd Robert Rowland
The Revd David Sheen
The Revd Brian Taylor
The Revd David Walters
The Revd Ifan Williams
The Revd Canon Peter Williams
The Revd Robert Parrish
The Revd Dean Atkins
The Revd Ben Andrews
The Revd Andrew Tweed
The Revd Irving Hamer
The Revd Canon Graham Francis
The Revd Hugh Linn
The Revd Mark Williams
The Revd Canon Harold Clarke
The Ven. Martin Williams
The Revd Laurie Way
The Revd Keith Lerry
The Revd Melville Jones
The Revd Richard Williams
The Revd Fred Mudge
The Revd Kenneth Jordan
The Revd Gwyn Lloyd Jones
The Revd Paul Newsum
The Revd Malcolm Lane
The Revd John Workman
The Revd Canon John Davies
The Revd Robert Davies
The Revd Deacon Betty Butler
The Revd Roger Williams
The Revd David Allen
The Revd Roy Cale
The Revd David Way
The Revd Barry Davies
The Revd Graham Horwood
The Revd T J Williams
The Revd Jack Buttimore
The Revd John Andrew
The Revd Chancellor Anthony Williams
The Revd Christopher Darvill
The Revd Leonard Parry-Jones
The Revd Tom Foster
The Revd Tom Wood
The Revd Haydn England-Simon
The Revd Graham Hollowood
The Revd Ronald Wiffen
The Revd Wayne Coughlin
The Revd Canon David Hathaway
The Revd Ian Galt
The Revd Dr John Plessis
The Revd Gary Powell
The Revd Bill Field
The Revd Ron Evans
The Revd Alan Hunter
The Revd George Trimby
The Revd Gareth Griffiths
The Revd Deacon Bryn Parry-Jones
The Revd Terry Doherty
The Revd Bernard Sharp
The Revd Steven Green
The Revd Clifford Bennett
The Revd Colin Sutton
The Venerable Islwyn John
Mrs Sarah Gillard-Faulkner
The Revd Patrick Jenkins
The Revd Andrew Jones
The Revd Bryan Hall
The Revd David Matthews
The Revd David Dredge
The Revd Charles Billington
The Revd Bernard Sixtus
Mr Andrew Thomas
The Revd William Price-Johns
The Revd Anthony Bailey
The Revd Paul Gerard