The Venerable Norman Russell said the vote against the draft women bishops’ measure in the Church of England house of laity should not have come as a surprise.
He said: “In key votes in Synod over several years, the House of Laity, many of whose members are keen to honour the breadth of the Church of England, has consistently resisted giving a two-thirds majority to proposals which would not give traditional Anglo-Catholic and conservative evangelical clergy and congregations a secure future in the Church of England.
“Many of those who voted against these particular proposals are, like myself, in favour of women bishops, but not at any price….
Simple common sense. This vote was lost by the proponents because they were not prepared to give the opponents a guarantee that they will be allowed to co-exist in the Church of England.
The proponents lost it, through their own hubris and refusal to compromise.