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Primate welcomes breakthrough first woman bishop
By Market-Place
April 17, 2008
PRIMATE: Archbishop Phillip Aspinall believes the appointment of Kaye Goldsworthy as Australia's first woman bishop is a'..god thng for the church'.
Bishops show the lead in developing protocols
National church leader, Brisbane's Archbishop Phillip Aspinall has known the woman who'll become Australian first woman bishop, Archdeacon Kaye Goldsworthy for more than twenty years.
"I've got a lot of respect for Kaye," Archbishop Aspinall said. He's worked alongside her on the Standing Committee of the national synod and seen her abilities as an Australian representative on the international umbrella of the Anglican Church, the Anglican Consultative Council.
"She's an experienced priest and has exercised significant leadership roles in the Diocese of Perth so this step is an understandable step for her to be taking," he said.
"I welcome it, I think it's a good thing for the church, a good thing for the Diocese of Perth and a good thing for Kaye personally," he said.
"I recognise that there will be some people who will be troubled by this development in the life of the church," Phillip Aspinall said, "but I think that the steps the bishops have taken in this last week together will mean that people who disagree with the consecration of women as bishops will be cared for as this development unfolds."
The protocols agreed to by this month's National Bishop's Conference in Newcastle acknowledge that there are strongly-held beliefs by both opponents and supporters of women bishops.
"There's a proper place in the church for people who hold both those views," he said.
"The protocols are there to ensure that there isn't unjust discrimination against any member of the church or any faith community as far as that's possible."
Under the protocols diocesan bishops will ensure that there are reasonable arrangements to deliver episcopal ministry for everyone in the church.
If there's a parish where the majority of people who cannot in conscience welcome the ministry of a women bishop, then they will not be asked to accept that ministry and instead a male bishop will be made available to minister to that community.
The appointment of the first woman bishop as an assistant bishop in a metropolitan diocese, rather than as a diocesan bishop, is expected to ease tensions as the new protocols are used in practice for the first time.
"In a place like Perth there will still be four male bishops, plus retired bishops who are male who will be available to minister to communities who really can't welcome the ministry of a woman bishop," he said. "In that sense it does make it easier."
"We will move in time, who knows when there will be a woman diocesan bishop," he said. "When that happens there will be some additional issues. But I think the protocols will provide a good basis for proceeding."
"There's nothing in the protocols that undermines the proper responsibilitie
The protocols were drafted by Adelaide's Archbishop Jeff Driver. Archbishop Aspinall said the new 'ginger' group opposed to women bishops which was formed at the last national synod, the Association for Apostolic Ministry, was consulted at "a number of phases" about the protocols.
The Dioceses of Sydney and Ballarat were represented at those discussions.
The Bishops' Conference also made a number of key changes to the initial draft. "We worked for quite a few hours on refining it," he said, "but in the end every bishop present was able to say they supported the protocols that were developed."
The primate acknowledged that as well as the protocols, the ministry of Kaye Goldsworthy, and in due course other pioneering women bishops, will also make a contribution to the gradual acceptance of the change: "She is very highly regarded and well-respected throughout the church. She has revealed herself to be a person of deep prayer and careful theological reflection and of pastoral insights."
"They are all qualities that we look for our in our bishops and they will stand her in good stead."
Bishops confer
The primate was pleased with this year's national bishops' conference which he believes struck a good balance between tackling the major issues in the life of the church, and professional development for the bishops.
The conference worked on preparations for Lambeth.
On the 'professional development' side this year, the conference spent time learning how to be 'healthy leaders'. Professor Trevor Wearing from Newcastle University led a session about 'Healthy Lifestyles'.
"It was a useful wake-up call for us as bishops to make sure that there's a balance between work and exercise and relaxation," Archbishop Aspinall said.