It's Humble pie for Rowan - corrected

Poor Rowan Williams. First it was those cheeky Amurikans who refused to do what he told them to do. Then it was the African bishops who started mucking about in his self-proclaimed Anglican Fiefdom. And now, well, it's his own surfs who have shafted him.

Almost half of his bishops told him to go soak his head and voted against his amendment which would have given the schismatics in the Church of England right to refuse to recognize any female bishop's authority or the authority of any male bishop who had even participated or consented to the ordination of a woman to any of the three orders of the church.

Fifteen of the forty bishops voted against Rowan. If my math is correct, that is roughly 37 percent of his bishops did not support him. This was not just a vote against the amendment. This was, and don't forget it, a vote against Rowan himself.

My friend who sent me a text message from the General Synod had the numbers backwards in his message, so, to clear up all confusion, the correct votes are:

Bishops: 25 yes; 15 no;
Clergy: 85 yes; 90 no; 5 abstention
Laity: 106 yes; 96 no; 4 abstention

It was the clergy who were responsible for the failure of the amendment.

Some have said the spin is all wrong and this is only a minor defeat. But, they are wrong. It is a significant vote of no confidence in the leadership of Canterbury and York. And the rejection may have been influenced by recent "papal" actions from Lambeth Palace.

Canterbury and York probably saw this defeat coming as they pushed for a simple vote on the so-called "Anglican Covenant." We shall see what transpired in that vote.

I've telephoned the pub nearest the York site and asked them to send round a very large gin and tonic for Rowan with my compliments.

My apologies for having mucked the numbers up three times. And my thanks to those who pointed out those errors.