Challenge on women priests

(First Edition)

THE Church Society yesterday welcomed a High Court ruling that clears the way for a legal challenge to proposed reforms on the ordination of female priests.

Lord Justice Simon Brown, sitting with Mr Justice Buckley, said the society had an 'arguable case' and gave it leave to seek a judicial review next Tuesday and Wednesday - before the issue is debated by Parliament. He rejected arguments from lawyers for the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, joint presidents of the General Synod, that the courts had no jurisdiction.

The courts were not interfering with parliamentary processes but possibly 'smoothing the legislative path', Lord Justice Brown said.

The society, the most influential evangelical body within the Anglican Church, plans to seek a declaration that members of the ecclesiastical committee of both Houses of Parliament exceeded their powers in backing proposed legislation to allow women's ordination.

It argues that female ordination is a fundamental change of Anglican doctrine, so can only be brought about by an Act of Parliament and not the proposed Priests (Ordination of Women) measure.