Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2013 Issue | Page 15
The lady BIshop from America
The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
“Excuse me,” the seven-year-old
schoolboy asked at the end of the
assembly, “Are you the lady bishop
from America?” “Yes,” I responded.
“But I thought you’d be speaking
American,” he said. “I am speaking
American,” I replied. “Is it different from
what you expected?” “Yes,” he stated
emphatically, “I can understand you.”
Growing in understanding of one
another and of the world we serve in
Christ’s name was at the heart of the
recent weeklong visit my husband Tom
and I made to our partner Diocese of
Liverpool, England. Two particular
realities provided a context and
backdrop for the visit.
The first reality was the vote
of the General Synod of the Church
of England on November 20, 2012,
regarding the ordination of women
as bishops. The measure was easily
approved by the necessary two-thirds
majority in both the House of Bishops
and the House of Clergy, but failed by
six votes in the House of Laity. A total
vote of 324 to 122 was not enough to
carry the motion, even though 42 of the
44 dioceses of the church had already
backed the measure. The failure in the
General Synod therefore came as a
blow to many. In response, the House
of Bishops determined to elect eight
senior women priests as “participant
observers” to the House with seat and
voice, though not vote, until the House
has at least six women bishops. I found
myself surrounded at times by women
priests, by young people and by other
frustrated lay people who saw in “the
lady bishop from America” a sign of
hope. My preaching and presiding at
the Eucharist in cope and miter in the
stunningly beautiful Liverpool Cathedral
became for many, it seems, an icon of
the promise of what will one day be in
the Church of England. I saw firsthand
how witness and presence can be signs
of hope and roads to understanding.
The second reality that provided a
backdrop for the visit is the lon