Grim day

"Very grim day, most of all for women priests and supporters, need to surround all with prayer & love and co-operate with our healing God." This was the twitter reaction of the next bishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England.

Yes, for me also it was a disappointment. The synod witnessed more than 100 speeches and half of them by women before it went for the voting. 

On last Tuesday the church put to vote after a long 12 years of debate, deliberation and theological explanations, after almost 30 years of campaigning, the needed legislation to appoint women bishops in the Church of England. They already have women priests which mark a sign of equality of everyone among the whole humanity.

The surprise was that the motion got passed in the house of Bishops and house of Clergy with a two-third majority and more than that but in the house of Laity it failed to achieve the two third majority with the margin of a mere 6 votes. Tragic.

The votes were 44 for and three against with two abstentions in the House of Bishops, 148 for and 45 against in the House of Clergy, and 132 for and 74 against in the House of Laity. The vote was only lost by a handful of votes amongst lay members, which means the vast majority of Anglicans are in favour and will feel deeply disappointed. The catholic group in the synod, as expected, backed a ‘no’ vote, and is happy now. Very unfortunate.

Naturally the question would be, why should I be disappointed who is a catholic where the whole church’s top roles and the clergy roles are accessible only for men, or better to say half of the human kind is discriminated out? Time to introspect and get to know the pulse of the people. Is the church running behind the times? Are we still hanging on with the thinking that Eve, the so called first woman, is solely responsible to have brought sin to the world? What we need to get around a Eucharistic table to deliberate in favour of including everyone in the ‘Kingdom of Church’? Thank God, at least in Kingdom of God, there is no discrimination.

For me, in all areas of the church, in all offices, and in all activity of the Church, women need to find free access as children of God. If we followed the traditions and practices of the wider society in the early ages to form a church headed by men, it is time to see that the same society has changed itself to pave way for the eradication of all inequalities. After all, both men and women are created in the image of God.

I would be happy to celebrate a Eucharist with a galaxy of women priests concelebrating.

I just remember the bible story of Moses where he was asked to select elders so that they may be poured with the spirit of the Lord and they prophesy. As they started prophesying in the Tent, two others Eldad and Medad started prophesying outside the tent in the camp. Joshua asked Moses to stop them. Bit Moses replies, “Are you jealous?  I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lordwould put his Spirit on them!” so people outside the tent can also have the spirit of the Lord and not the only ones who are elected and given authority.

Let not the society one day feel that it is better off without the contribution of Catholic church.