Tonight, we’re talking to the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen.
The Anglican Church’s highest legal authority, the Appellate Tribunal, has ruled in favour of female bishops ”“ a milestone in the Church’s history and of course its development. But the Sydney diocese, arguably the most powerful and conservative in Australia, which Archbishop Jensen heads, was vehemently opposed to the move.
Archbishop Jensen thinks, as a matter of Biblical principle, ordaining women as bishops is wrong. But why, given the Church has ordained women as priests? And given the Catholic Archbishop, George Pell, has come out in support of the ALP (Australian Labor Party) and its education policy in particular, which party does Archbishop Jensen think will win the election when it’s finally called?
But he’s keen to point out that at one stage it looked like the fight to protect the Franklin River was lost. Twenty-five years later, that river continues to run free.