Church of England set to elect first woman bishop

The Church of England could this week select the first woman Bishop in history.

Applications from women are among the submissions being considered for vacancy. The candidates for Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham will be interviewed on Tuesday, December 2 and Wednesday, December 3.

After the interviews, a preferred candidate and a second preference will be put forward. But according to , no announcements will be made until 2015 as the appointment needs to be approved by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

In November, the Church of England formally adopted legislation allowing women to become Bishops. Women priest have not been able to take on the Church’s most senior roles as Bishop even though they were first ordained in 1994.

The issues has been the cause of discord for several years as some Anglicans feel the move is consistent with their faith but the traditionalists disagree.

In November the general synod, the Church’s law-making body, gave the final seal of approval to the legislation, which had passed through Parliament in October.

The vacancy in Southwell and Nottingham arose after Bishop Paul Butler left to become the Bishop of Durham in January, reports the BBC. Gloucester, Oxford and Newcastle are among the other dioceses where new bishops will soon be appointed.