Archbishop of Canterbury backs 'fast-tracking' women bishops to Lords

The first women bishops in the Church of England could be “fast-tracked” into the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested.
By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Editor
28 Nov 2011

Dr Rowan Williams, giving evidence to peers on reform of the Upper House, admitted there is a “somewhat restricted pool” of potential Lords Spiritual at the moment.

He said for the first time that he favoured rewriting the rules on how bishops are appointed to the chamber, so that women would be eligible once the first female bishops are created over the next few years.

The church’s governing body, the General Synod, will vote on the historic move next year and the first woman is expected to be made a bishop in 2014.

Dr Williams told the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill on Monday evening that the ranks of the episcopacy are currently not very “representative in gender terms” and that there is a “somewhat restricted pool” of potential representatives in the Lords.
the rest