A new society has been formed to give \u201csome sort of identity\u201d\u009d to Catholic clergy and laity who are opposed to women bishops but do not wish to leave the Church of England.<\/p>\n
The Bishop of Plymouth, the Rt Revd John Ford, said this week that the new Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda would \u201cprovide a place within the Church of England where Catholics can worship and minister with integrity without accepting innovations that further distance the Church of England from the greater Churches of the East and West\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
The society, he said, represented \u201ca con structive initiative on the part of those who cannot accept the innovations proposed in legislation, and who are hurt and frustrated by General Synod\u2019s inability to provide for their theological position\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n
The idea emerged last week at a meeting of a \u201csacred synod\u201d\u009d in Westminster, attended by 460 bishops, priests, and deacons. The meeting was called by Anglo-Catholic bishops to discuss concerns about women-bishops legislation and the lack of clarity about provision for those who would not accept it.<\/p>\n