Archive - Tuesday, 20 November 2001


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Woman priest will not minister Prince

A WOMAN priest will not be appointed for Prince Charles local church in the parish of Tetbury and Beverston.

At a recent meeting, both parochial church councils voted on whether a woman would be accepted as an incumbent or priest-in-charge.

Five out of nine people from Beverston PCC said it would not accept a woman, and 15 out of 17 people from Tetbury PCC voted that it would.

But Church of England rules say that if one parish does not want a woman, even if it is in the minority, then a female vicar will not be allowed.

Church of England Diocese spokesman Geoff Crago said it is a very complex matter.

A parish has the right to say whether it does want a woman priest. If one parish said no, it is not a matter of totting up the votes for and against.

John Hawthorne, the previous vicar of St Marys, was opposed to a woman being a priest.

But the votes do not conflict with equal rights opportunities in Britain. The Church of England is exempt from equal rights legislation, added Mr Crago.

Tetbury PCC secretary Jill Poppleton told the Standard there were a lot of people for and against a woman priest, and the matter was sounded out properly before a vote was taken.

Both parishes did vote that it would accept a woman as the minister to preside at or celebrate the holy communion or pronounce the absolution in the parish.