Anglican Church in Wales will Ordain Women to the Priesthood
Episcopal News Service. September 26, 1996 [96-1561]
(ENS) The Anglican Church in Wales will join sister churches in the British Isles when it ordains women to the priesthood early next year.
The September 19 decision by the church's Governing Body comes after previous attempts failed because clergy votes did not meet the necessary two-thirds majority. This time, by a single vote, the clergy joined bishops and laity who had already expressed their approval of the change.
Archbishop Alwyn Rice-Jones, primate of the church, strongly urged support for the measure lest Wales become "a forgotten province of the Anglican Church." The Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland already ordain women to the priesthood. Of the 37 provinces in the Anglican Communion, nearly half now ordain women.
According to observers, the issue was forcefully argued before the vote. David McIntyre, secretary general of the province, told Ecumenical News International that it had been "a good-tempered meeting, although both sides expressed themselves powerfully."
Women in the diocese expressed their joy. "I am just so relieved and thankful. Now we can get on and move the church forward together," said Valerie Jones, who is in charge of three parishes in the northern part of Wales.
"We are thrilled for the women deacons who have been waiting to have their vocation tested -- and particularly thrilled for the whole church in Wales," said Christina Reese of the Movement for the Ordination of Women. The church has 73 women deacons waiting for ordination.
The Rev. Cynthia Black, president of the Episcopal Women's Caucus, said that she joined her sisters around the world in celebrating the decision. "As each member of the Anglican Communion moves toward a more whole priesthood, I dare to believe that we are creating the realm of God on earth. And with each step, I'm more hopeful that some day our sisters in the Roman Catholic Church will be able to be ordained."
Pamela P. Chinnis, who as president of the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies may be the highest-ranking woman in the leadership of the Anglican Communion, said that she hoped the decision by the Church in Wales "might encourage other member churches to take a closer look at ministry by women." She expressed her hope that "they may discover, as we have in the Episcopal Church, the vital role women can play."