It was with “great joy” that the senior Church of England cleric the Rev Dr Jill Duff, the bishop of Lancaster, announced Philip North’s appointment as the next bishop of Blackburn this week. “Thrilled by this news,” she wrote – the ostensive message that the appointment is good news for women in the church. But this may seem curious to those who know the backstory.
North is one of a number of clergy in the C of E who do not believe that women should be ordained as priests, let alone bishops. Moves to promote him in 2012 and 2017 were quashed after protests by female church members. Those who hold his theological position do not receive bread and wine consecrated by female clergy or by a man or woman ordained by a female bishop. Duff isn’t the only female clergy member to welcome North’s nomination – many no doubt know of his gifts and, despite not fully recognising their orders, how he has been supportive of female clergy in the past.
