Church of England Ordains Female Priests
The Church of England, a historic Anglican institution with nearly 28 million members, made a significant move towards gender equality in its clergy by ordaining its first female priests on March 12, 1994. This landmark ceremony, held at Bristol Cathedral, marked a pivotal moment in the church's evolution and in the broader context of Christian denominations grappling with the role of women in church leadership. The Church of England, which separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century under King Henry VIII, had maintained a traditional clergy structure but faced increasing pressure to modernize.
While the Roman Catholic Church continues to prohibit female priests, the Anglican Church had begun addressing this issue as early as 1975, with the General Synod acknowledging no fundamental objections to women joining the priesthood. The formal approval for ordination came in 1992, leading to parliamentary consent and the historic event in 1994. This move underscored the church's ongoing transformation and adaptation to contemporary societal values, reflecting a broader shift within many religious communities toward inclusivity and equality. The ordination of female priests remains a celebrated milestone for many within the Anglican Communion and has implications for discussions on gender roles in religious leadership across various denominations.
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Church of England Ordains Female Priests
Church of England Ordains Female Priests
On March 12, 1994, the Church of England (the Anglican Church, the national church of England) ordained 32 women, its first female priests, during a ceremony held at Bristol Cathedral. It was a historic event in the evolution of the centuries-old church, which today has nearly 28 million members, comprising approximately two-thirds of the English population, as well as affiliations with Episcopal churches in other countries.
The Christian church in England originally belonged to the international Roman Catholic Church, but in the 16th century King Henry VIII separated the Church in England from Rome and made it a national body, with himself rather than the pope as its head. He was motivated both by dynastic ambitions, as the pope would not grant him the divorce he wanted in order to take a new wife, able to bear him a male heir, and by the usual royal desire to control all matters and monies within his own kingdom. What began as a typical conflict between king and pope, however, soon developed into something more complicated, for the Protestant Reformation was in full swing across Europe. Although Henry was not a Protestant (he had in fact authored a refutation of Luther's views), some of his ministers welcomed the opportunity for reform; in addition, Protestants from the continent now fled to England to be out of reach of the papal Inquisition, bringing with them more radical doctrines as well as frightening stories of coercion and persecution.
Gradually, the new Anglican Church took on a Protestant identity, at least in matters of doctrine. It also became identified with nationhood: Attempts after Henry's death to restore the Catholic faith served only to convince the English that Catholicism would mean foreign domination. In several important respects, however, the Anglican Church remained close to its Catholic roots. Its services incorporated much of the Latin of the Catholic Mass, translated into English, and its clergy were organized in the traditional conservative hierarchy, with priests, bishops, and archbishops—now, of course, owing allegiance to a monarch instead of a pope.
During the late 20th century, the question of whether women could join the clergy became an issue in both denominations, and the cause of bitter debate. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church eventually opened its doors to female priests. In 1975 the General Synod observed that “there are no fundamental objections to the ordination of women to the priesthood” and in 1992 formally approved the ordination of female priests. After consent by the British parliament, the ceremonies proceeded in 1994.