John Bercow’s comments came during questions to Tory MP Dame Caroline Spelman, who represents the Church of England in the Commons, about the Church’s progress in the issue.
She said: “The Church of England is well on its way to reaching its target in 2020 when we hope to see 50 per cent of women in the priesthood and indeed we have the highest level of ordinants for ten years, an increase of 14 per cent since last year and there has been a particularly strong increase, a 19 per cent increase in women entering training compared to 2016.”
Conservative MP Chris Davies welcomed the progress the Church had made increasing female clergy members, but added: “What steps are the Church taking to ensure the diversity of those being considered for ordination better reflects the country as a whole?”
Dame Caroline replied: “We should not overlook the need to draw more people from different ethnic backgrounds and the church has strategies looking to increase the number of black and ethnic minority ordinants, the numbers are currently only 3.3 per cent of clergy.”
The Church of England appointed a senior figure to drive up the proportion of black and ethnic minority clergy in 2016, against a backdrop of data showing the church was failing to match national demographics.
As well as increasing the number of black and minority ethnic (BAME) clergy, the church also wants to attract more women and younger people.
Mr Bercow told…
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.