Anglican Communion News Service

The first women to be ordained priests in the Church in Wales will be so ordered at Epiphanytide with services taking place in all six Welsh cathedrals.

The Church's Governing Body voted in September to accept the ordination of women priests. As many of the 77 of the 78 women deacons in the Church could be priested in January. Two and a half years ago the Governing Body failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority in the Order of Clergy to agree to the priesting of women. This time 85 clergy voted for the bill and 40 against securing the necessary majority. Amongst the laity the voting was 136 for to 47 against and all six bishops voted for the Bill. During the debate the bishops announced their intention to appoint a bishop to undertake the pastoral oversight of whose who could not accept women priests and to represent their views to the councils of the Church in Wales. Before debating the Bill, the Governing Body adapted a plan drawn up by the bishops for providing financial assistance in the case of hardship for anyone resigning from the ministry on conscientious grounds.