Five hundred priests to leave Anglican church?

The priests say they will leave the Church if women Bishops are approved at the next General Synod.

LONDON (CNA) - The Times of London reported this week that the Anglican Church is facing a new crisis with 500 priests threatening to leave if women are ordained bishops.

The newspaper reported that the priests have said they would leave the Church if the proposal is approved at the next general synod scheduled for July of this year.

Many priests said they feel betrayed by the proposal, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Archbishop John Sentamu of York have responded by saying they would work for a compromise rather than allow female bishops, even though both are in favor of female clergy.

Fifteen provinces of the Anglican Communion have voted in favor of female bishops, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Central America, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States.

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