There is a factual proposal, and it is contained in the report of the workgroup headed by the Bishop of Guildford, Rev. Christopher Hill. The Church of England thus goes on along the way (started quite some time ago) of removing the hindrances that currently prevent women accessing Episcopal ordination. The proposal named "Transferred Episcopal Arrangements" is contained in a release, which was issued yesterday by the Information Service of the Anglican Communion (Acns) and will be discussed by the general synod of the Anglican Church next month. The proposal reads the release aims at "preserving utmost agreement and unity within the Church" and means "to meet the needs of those who cannot believe that women can be bishops". Women’s ordination is the focus of a lively debate, which, after ordaining a professedly gay bishop in the United States and blessing homosexual couples in Canada, risks creating further splitting in this religion. The Guildford group therefore reviewed several options to allow women to access the episcopate: the report tested the assumption of a "proviso" ad personam or even the possibility of creating a third province within the religion, which however could be equated to a schism within the Anglican religion. The assumption of the "Transferred Episcopal Arrangements" is therefore gaining credibility; under it, "parish churches against women priests and women bishops can ask, through a resolution of a special parish council, the diocesan bishop that the archbishop of the Province sees that the office of the bishop be led by a regional provincial bishop". Basically, the parish churches can move out of the jurisdiction of a women bishop and go under the jurisdiction of a "regional" man bishop.
