A LEADING opponent of the ordination of women priests within the Church of England is to become one of its bishops, Robert No well reports from London.
The Rev John Broadhurst, a north London rector who is chairman of Forward in Faith, the umbrella organisation for opponents of the ordination of women, has been appointed Bishop of Fulham in the Diocese of London, and will also provide pastoral care for parishes opposed to women priests in the neighbouring dioceses of Rochester and Southwark.
His appointment is seen as indicating both a willingness on the part of the Church's leadership to accept opponents of women priests as worthy members of the Church of England instead of marginalising them, and a realisation on the part of Anglicans opposed to the women's ordination that they do have a future within the Church of England.
The appointment contrasts with the impression given at the Forward in Faith assembly in October, when 14 regional deans were commissioned to provide a parallel network of pastoral care and oversight, raising fears of plans for a Church within the Church.
Two other area bishops have been appointed in London Dr John Sentamu and Archdeacon Michael Colclough. Dr Sentamu is a former Ugandan High Court judge who fled from Idi Amin to exile.