Traditionalist Bishops Prepare Plans for Separate Anglican Church in England
By Heather Elizabeth Peterson
Greenbelt Interfaith News

Bishops and deans belonging to the traditionalist Forward in Faith movement have announced plans to start a separate Anglican province in England. Forward in Faith said in early November that as many as 1,000 Church of England parishes are dissatisfied with women's ordination and might be willing to join an independent church. The plans, which are described in the November 9 issue of The Sunday Times, resemble a proposal made by Episcopal traditionalists in July. Like the American Anglicans, members of Forward in Faith hope that such a province would receive official recognition from the Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury had no immediate comment, but has rejected similar proposals in the past.

"The Sunday Times article is accurate in most respects, but where it falls down is on time-scale," Stephen Parkinson, director of Forward in Faith, told Greenbelt Interfaith News. "The article makes it sound as if Forward in Faith is on the verge of declaring an independent province, which it is not. We have made it clear from the outset that the catalyst which will make a new province inevitable is the consecration of women as bishops. At present, the Church of England shows little enthusiasm for such a move, but we continue to lay before her the consequences, so that she is left in no doubt."