A STOKE Lacy woman is urging fellow female churchgoers to protest against the General Synod vote on women priests by wearing an apron.

Laywoman Christine Walters, secretary to her local Bromyard Deanery, wants women in the diocese of Hereford to wear the apron as a protest against the vote earlier this month by the lay people of the General Synod, which prevented consecration of women priests as Bishops in the Church of England.

She came up with the idea, wanting a protest to be amusing while making a very serious point, and without having to be noisy.

It is set to take place on Sunday, December 9 She said: “We all know that women contribute so much to the church, and especially our women priests, who need our support at the moment. We are asking men to wear a purple ribbon.

“The idea is that women in the pews wear an apron or pinafore on top of their clothes as a mockery of the idea that they are fit only for tea-making. I hope as many people as possible will take part in this gentle but serious demonstration.

“Let’s get the message to the current bishops, and the tiny minority of those opposed, that the time has come for women to be consecrated as bishops and the sooner the better.”

It is timed to take place just before the two-day meeting of bishops at Lambeth Palace on Monday, December 10 and Tuesday 11 to discuss the decision.

Under the requirements of the General Synod, the legislation required a two-thirds majority in each of the three voting houses for final draft approval. While more than two thirds voted for the legislation in both the House of Bishops (44-03) and the House of Clergy (148-45), the vote in favour of the legislation in the House of Laity was less than two-thirds (132-74).

The vote in the House of Laity fell short of approval by six votes. The members of all three houses from Hereford Diocese voted in favour of women bishops, one of only three Dioceses to do so.