Another Good Saturday

There were three Church of England dioceses voting on the Covenant today.  Bradford approved it while Chelmsford and Hereford rejected it.

In order to return to General Synod, the Covenant must be approved in 23 of the Church of England's 44 dioceses.  The Covenant's supporters need to win in 15 of the remaining 23 dioceses.

Today's results:

Chelmsford - defeated

• Bishops: 2 for, 1 against, 1 abstention
• Clergy: 27 for, 29 against, 7 abstentions
• Laity: 31 for, 30 against, 3 abstentions

Hereford - defeated

• Bishops: 2 for
• Clergy: 15 for, 15 against, 1 abstention
• Laity: 21 for, 23 against, 1 abstention

Bradford - passed

• Bishops: 1 for
• Clergy: 15 for, 9 against, 2 abstentions
• Laity: 16 for, 15 against, 3 abstentions

As I understand it, if the Covenant fails to achieve the necessary 23 diocesan approvals, the matter is concluded and cannot be reintroduced during the life of the present General Synod.