By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor From Daily Mail UK

General Synod’s overwhelmingly backed a change in church law today

   It comes 20 years after women were ordained as Church of England priests

   The first female bishop could take her seat from as early as next year

   Today’s vote rubber-stamps legislation backing women bishops in July

Women can officially become bishops in the Church of England following a historic vote [Nov 17 2014].

The Anglican General Synod overwhelmingly backed a change in church law with a simple show of hands at a meeting in London today. It comes 20 years after the first women were ordained as Church of England priests.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the church was starting ‘a completely new phase of our existence’ and predicted half of bishops could be women within 15 years.

After the vote, the Archbishop welcomed the historic vote. He said: ‘It has taken a very, very long time and the way is now open to select people for the episcopacy, to nominate them on the basis simply of our sense that they are called by God to be in that position without qualification as to their gender.’

It is anticipated that the first female bishop could take her seat next year.

The change sees the simple addition of a sentence to Canon 33, which reads: ‘A man or a woman may be consecrated to the office of bishop.’

The Very Rev Dr Jane Hedges, 58, dean of Norwich, is the bookies’ favourite to become the first woman bishop.

Ladbrokes has offered odds of just 3/1 that the former canon steward of Westminster Abbey and archdeacon of Westminster will become a bishop.

She leads the Ven Rachel Treweek, archdeacon of Hackney – at 6/1 – and the Very Rev Dr June Osborne, dean of Salisbury Cathedral – at 8/1.

Other leading candidates include the Very Rev Vivienne Faull, dean of York Minster.

Along with gay marriage, the issue of women bishops has dominated religious debate in recent years.

Canon Philippa Boardman (left) is one of the contenders to be make up the first women bishops in the Church of England alongside the Very Rev Vivienne Faull, the Dean of York Minster (right)

The first women were ordained in the Church of England in 1994 and they now make up about a third of clergy.

The plan to allow them to stand as bishops was derailed by just six votes cast by lay members in November 2012, causing shock and bitter recriminations within the Church of England and prompting threats of an intervention by Parliament.

The General Synod overwhelmingly backed legislation introducing the first women bishops in the Church of England in July and today’s vote rubber-stamped the move.

IMAGES:

Female clergy were emotional after the General Synod voted in favour of women bishops at Church House in London today

The General Synod overwhelmingly adopted legislation which means the first female bishops could be ordained in 2015

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby today welcomed the decision to accept women bishops

For more on this story go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2838028/Women-officially-allowed-bishops-time-historic-Church-England-vote.html#ixzz3JLmVVxqs