Meeting to consider women bishops

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch will look at how the Church's legal structure can changed to allow the move.

In July the Church's ruling body the general synod approved the concept of women bishops as "theologically justified" by 288 votes to 119.

The vote brought the introduction of women bishops closer and they could feature in the Church by 2012.

Voted against

The Bishop of Manchester will chair a legislative drafting group and report to the Archbishops' Council.

The call for female bishops has been led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, but the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, was among those who voted against.

The synod voted to "welcome and affirm" the view of the majority of the House of Bishops that admitting women to the episcopate was consonant with the faith of the church.

A significant number of traditionalists in the Church are against the idea.

The Church of England first ordained women priests in 1994.

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