“WOMEN’S voices continue not to be heard” in the Church of England because of institutional barriers, the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, has said.
During a fractious debate in the General Synod on Friday on proposed changes to rules governing the composition of vacancy-in-see committees, she said that women “continue to experience micro-aggression”.
Each diocese is required to have a vacancy-in-see committee, which meets when the diocesan bishop has vacated the see, in the event of translation, retirement, resignation, or death.
The committee holds at least two meetings. The first is held as soon as practicable after the vacancy has been announced. At its second meeting, the committee discusses the needs of the diocese before preparing a statement setting them. This is sent to the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), which chooses the name to be submitted to the Crown for the appointment of the next Bishop. The committee elects by ballot from among its members persons to be members of the CNC.
The changes being put to the Synod last week were brought forward with reference to a review, published last year, of the nomination of the Rt Revd Philip North as Bishop of Blackburn (News, 19 April 2024). The reviewer, Maggie Swinson, had found that the process had been followed correctly, but recommended a review of the appropriateness of the chairing of a vacancy-in-see committee by a suffragan bishop of the diocese.
In accordance with this, one of the changes that Bishop Mullally proposed was that the chair be elected from among the lay members of the committee. This, she told the Synod, would avoid the risk of other members’ feeling unable to speak their mind because the chair was their line manager, or in another position of authority.
Other proposals were aimed at ensuring “better representation of the diocese as a whole” on the eventual CNC, Bishop Mullally said. This included a requirement that at least one woman be chosen to be among the six diocesan representatives on the CNC, and that two members of the vacancy-in-see committee could not be connected with the same parish.
During the debate, many spoke in support of the motion, including Nadine Daniel (Liverpool). She also, however, said that her diocese “has a problem” with its CNC, and that this would not be addressed by the proposed changes.
“That problem is that there is somebody who cannot be trusted to maintain their oath of confidentiality,” she said, referring to a recent leak about the appointment process of Dr John Perumbalath to the see of Liverpool (News, 7 February).
Several amendments to the main motion were brought, including one from Jennifer Fellows (Gloucester) which sought to remove the requirement for at least one lay person and at least one cleric from those elected from a vacancy-in-see committee to the CNC to be female. While she wished to see female clergy better represented, and more in senior posts, the proposed change did not address issues of failing to listen to women, she argued. “We can still enthusiastically pursue and empower women to become part of the process.”
Bishop Mullally reminded the Synod that there had been no women on the vacancy-in-see committees in Durham, Exeter, and Coventry, and only one in Winchester, Sodor & Man, and Ely.
“Women’s voices continue not to be heard,” she said. “Why are we not ensuring that our members are 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women? Even if we only have two possibilities, we still have four who are men. There continue to be institutional barriers. We continue to experience micro-aggression.”
Visibly emotional, she turned away from the podium. Her intervention was met with prolonged applause, Synod members standing.
“People will say I have manipulated you,” she continued. “I have not manipulated you. . . Reject this amendment.”
The Revd Kate Massey (Coventry) said: “Women are not another minority in the Church. We are a majority. We are subject to legal discrimination because of the bodies we inhabit. You need the voice of local women in your discernment. Every CNC includes a male priest, but not an ordained woman.”
The Revd Jo Winn-Smith (Guildford) said: “Here we are today debasing women. We are a majority in the Church’s congregations. I urge you to reject this.”
The Revd Kate Wharton (Liverpool) supported the amendment at one level: “I am a feminist and an egalitarian.” She was in favour of equal representation for men and women on all committees, but said: “We should be beyond a time of reserving places for one gender. I want this clause not to need to exist. I want us to be better about changing our culture.”
The Archbishop of York also wished that this conversation was not necessary. “I wish we didn’t need any of those things, but we do, for the greater cause of unity and representation, and everyone feeling they have a place around the table.”
The amendment fell in all three Houses. Voting was: Bishops 1-18, with two recorded abstentions; Clergy 55-79, with nine recorded abstentions; Laity 68-90, with four recorded abstentions.
Other amendments lapsed as a consequence.
Returning to the main motion, the Revd Dr Charlie Bell (Southwark) said: “Show the Bishop of London a little more respect than comparing what she’s trying to do with Mugabe or South Africa. There has been so much talk about paying attention to power. This is being a bit ludicrous: we are not listening to the voices of those who don’t believe they are being heard. Just vote the thing.”
Kenson Li (co-opted) had been co-opted as one coming from a GMH background, he said. “Synod, if you think the system is working, don’t be surprised if they [young people] leave us. They will have made their minds up that this Church is not worth their time.”
The motion to approve the regulation was carried: Bishops 16-3, with three recorded abstentions; Clergy 83-64, with four recorded abstentions; Laity 93-64.
The regulation was affirmed and proclaimed as an Act of Synod.
