Though the Church of England has some notoriously anti-woman roots (Beheading of Anne Boleyn? Rejection of Queen Elizabeth?), this influential Anglican institution is slowly making its way into the 21st century.
As of yesterday, July 14, women can officially be ordained to serve as bishops in the Church of England. Nice! Delayed, but nice!! The vote was met with (almost) unanimity in the House of Bishops, which is a big step up from the 2012 vote – which was shot down by a small margin.
If a member of the church has an issue with a female bishop, they may “request male priests and bishops, but they are offered no guarantees,” according to NPR’s report. In other words, they’ll try to accommodate his fear and disrespect of women, but he may have to suck it up and see these godly women as his equal.
This crucial decision is just one more way to reconcile religion with feminism, namely loving your faith shouldn’t exempt anyone from equal rights or treatment. Good start, Church of England! Let this be the beginning of much more positive change to come.
Images via Katharine Jefferts Schori via Cafepress, The Trumpet, and News Nigeria