50 years ago--the Anglican Church of Canada votes to ordain women to the priesthood

As reported by Canadian Press and published in the Montreal Gazette, June 19, 1975:

QUEBEC--Ordination of women to the priesthood was approved last night by 88 of 106 lay delegates to the 27th general synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Seventy-five of the 105 clergy voted yes while 26 of the 34 in the House of Bishops voted their approval.

It was the second time the synod had approved the ordination of women. Approval in principle was given at a 1973 synod but it is necessary for a second synod to approve the action for it to become fact.

Also approved was a resolution that women be ordained at the discretion of diocesan bishops after consultation with the House of Bishops.

This allows a bishop to refuse ordination if he opposes the principle.

On this motion, 95 of the lay delegates voted yes and nine no. The clergy voted 86 in favor and 19 against while bishops voted 27 for and seven against.

There are deep feelings in the church on the question. It has been before Anglican communions since 1862 when a bishop of the Church of England ordained a deaconness. The Canadian church has deaconnesses.

The Lambeth conference of 1968 accepted the principle that deaconnesses are within the diaconate but it does not ordain them as priests.

The general synod of 1973 approved ordination in principle but specified that it not be implemented until the House of Bishops developed a pattern that included an education process.

As reported by Canadian Press and published in the Montreal Gazette, June 20, 1975:

...The final act of synod was to state that no person should be penalized as a result of synod's accepting the principle that women be admitted to the priesthood.

Two decisions of major import affecting the entire church were made at the week-long meeting with synod stting that women can be priests and deciding to end negotiations for union with two other Protestant churches.

Both steps troubled the delegates and feelings during debate ran high, even nearing the end as the "conscience clause" was adopted.

This came out of Wednesday's synod acceptance of women priests. Many in the house said it was "sad" that a church law was necessary to enforce an idea that should be accepted by a Christian church.

Archbishop [E.W.] Scott said the action was necessary for canonical and legal reasons.

The adopted resolution said:

"No bishop, priest, deacon or lay person, including postulants for ordination of the Anglican Church of Canada, should be penalized in any manner, nor suffer any canonical disabilities nor be forced into positions which violate or coerce his or her conscience as a result of general synod's action in affriming the principle of the ordination of women to the priesthood..."

Some bishops oppose ordination of women on theological grounds and have said they will refuse to ordain them. They were given discretion in this but it was feared by many clerical and lay members that penalties would be imposed if they refused...

Putting women in positions of leadership in a church is not only a sign of further apostasy to come but also of how much apostasy has already progressed. How has the Anglican Church of Canada's 1975 decision worked out? In 1975 there were 1,015,016 people listed on parish rolls. It peaked in 1964 at 1,365,313. By 2022 it was down to 294,931, a 70% decline since 1975 and more than 78% since 1964. According to its own 2019 report, the Anglican Church of Canada will be dead by 2040. The ordination of women as priests was a major step in the church's process of suicide.