THE ANGLICAN Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, said this week that the prospects of women priests in the Church of England were largely dependent on the decision of the AnglicanRoman Catholic International Commission on the issue.
The commission, which was set up under the authority of the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, must decide whether the ordination of women is a primary or secondary issue. If primary, the ordination of women in the Anglican church would be an insurmountable obstacle to church unity.
The commission's study is not expected to answer the question for two or three years yet. Dr Habgood himself is a supporter of the ordination of women and believes that it is a secondary issue.