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Archbishop cool on female priests Williams mulls women's ordination
(about 8 hours later)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, says women priests have not brought the sense of renewal that many had hoped for. The Anglican Church may one day re-think its position on the ordination of women, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has suggested.
He explained in an interview with the Catholic Herald how he still supports women priests and cannot see the church reversing women's ordination. Ordaining women had not brought the sense of renewal many had hoped for, Dr Williams told the Catholic Herald a week before he meets the Pope in Rome.
But he said the change had not resulted in a transformation or renewal of the Anglican Church. But Dr Williams said he still supported women priests and that "putting it back in the bottle was not an option".
Dr Williams is about to pay a visit to Pope Benedict in Rome. The Church of England had 1,262 women priests serving in 2002.
He said he could just about envisage a situation in which, over a very long period of time, the Anglican Church thought about women's ordination again. It first ordained women as priests in 1994.
BBC religious affairs correspondent, Robert Pigott, said Dr Williams' comments will disappoint many women clergy. The archbishop told the newspaper he could "just about envisage a situation in which, over a very long period, the Anglican Church thought about it again, but I would need to see what the theological reason for that would be".
Views 'tested'
Dr Williams was also asked if divisions within the Church had affected his views on the ordination of women.
"It has tested it, it really has, and there have been moments when I have felt that," he said.
"But I think perhaps what one doesn't realise is how very, very normal this has come to feel for the vast majority of Anglicans and it hasn't undermined what the people feel about the ministry of the sacraments.
"So that putting it back in the bottle is not an option."
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said Dr Williams' comments will disappoint many women clergy.
Our correspondent also says his remarks read like the dispassionate assessment of an academic theologian, taking a long view of church history.Our correspondent also says his remarks read like the dispassionate assessment of an academic theologian, taking a long view of church history.
However, they will expose him to the risk of being misunderstood by Anglicans, who see him more as their leader, and inspiration, our correspondent added. Dr Williams' remarks will also be viewed against the current debate within the worldwide Anglican church, over the introduction of female bishops.
Women were first ordained as Church of England priests in 1994, and 1,262 women priests were serving in 2002, the last year for which figures are available.