The 12th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia has accepted a bill that could, in principle, allow the consecration of female bishops. The General Synod is being held in Brisbane through July 27.
In a secret ballot, the General Synod voted 135 for and 95 against, with two abstentions, on a motion to accept the bill in principle. That allows the bill to be debated in detail at the General Synod; a vote was expected to be taken late Monday.
The bill is modeled on the Law of the Church of England Clarification Canon 1992 -- the church law which removed any possible legal obstacles to the ordination of women as priests. But it goes further, giving the General Synod the opportunity to recognize that there are differences of opinion in the church as to whether a woman can or should perform the duties of a bishop, but also recognizes and affirms the essential unity of the church under God within a tolerable diversity.
There are 11 female bishops in the worldwide Anglican Communion, in New Zealand, the United States and Canada.