Church of Ireland Votes for Ordination of Women
Episcopal News Service. May 24, 1990 [90142T]
The General Synod of the Church of Ireland, meeting in Dublin on May 17, voted in favor of the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate. Almost 70 percent of the clergy and almost 86 percent of lay delegates voted in favor. In commenting on the vote, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Rev. Robin Eames, shared with delegates what he had learned as head of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Communion and Women in the Episcopate. Eames said he had gained new insights into "the thoughts, feelings, consideration, the aspirations,hopes and fears of our fellow members of the Anglican Communion." He said he had listened to the depth of feeling on both sides of the issue -- those who express reservations but also to women who have talked of "the pain, frustration, and hopes that they have nurtured." Eames said he was determined to "do everything in my power to see that the views of those who, in good conscience, cannot assent to the ordination of women....will be treated with respect and that the legitimacy of such a position of dissent be fully recognized."