Church of England’s ruling body says women bishops should be allowed

Church of England allows women bishops

LONDON — The Church of England national assembly has decided that women should be allowed to become bishops, making only minor concessions to theological conservatives who have threatened to break away over the issue.

Dioceses will now consider the draft law, which would let individual bishops allow alternative oversight for traditionalists within each diocese. The dioceses must report back by 2012.

Members of the church’s governing General Synod voted Monday in favor of the proposal that paves the way for women to be made bishops without restrictions to their authority.

The church’s ruling synod had earlier rejected a compromise plan proposed by traditionalist Anglicans that would have created a category of male-only bishops to oversee traditional parishes.