General Synod puts off split over ordination of female prelates by delaying legislation for fine tuning until final approval in July.

The archbishops of Canterbury and York has avoided humiliation in the Church of England’s law-making body, the General Synod, by putting off a split over the ordination of women bishops.

The synod voted against measures that would have given traditionalists the legal right to ignore the leadership of women bishops. The proposal by the Manchester diocesan synod would have accepted that parishes opposed to female diocesan bishops could be ministered by male bishops.

But the synod also rejected an attempt by the Southwark diocese in London to ensure bishops press on with legislation to introduce women bishops.

In spite of four days of tortuous debate, the synod agreed that its bishops could instead tinker with legislation that would allow the ordination of women as bishops, before returning it to the synod for final approval in July. If that legislation is passed, women bishops could be ordained in 2014.

It is still possible that either side could block the legislation this summer, setting back the process of ordaining women as bishops by at least five years.

The synod accepted a call from Dr Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, who asked the synod to “leave the door open” for some “bits of fine tuning”.

The archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who supported the Manchester motion, called for the synod to hold together. “The only way we can do this is by inviting the bishops to look at it. Whether it’s doable I don’t know, but give us another chance to see whether we can do it.”

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