York, UK - The Church of England delayed a vote on appointing women bishops on Monday after reformers rejected a last-minute concession to conservatives keen to keep important posts reserved for men.
The Church's General Synod voted to send back to their current bishops an amendment allowing traditionalist parishes to choose their male bishop as their leader if a woman is named to head their diocese. That put off a final vote on the issue until the next synod in November.
The Church of England is the mother church for the worldwide Anglican Communion but has no jurisdiction over member churches. Women already serve as bishops in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.