Reverend in line to be first woman bishop

A reverend who used to be based in the Black Country is the leading contender to become the Church of England's first woman bishop.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the current chaplain to the House of Commons and also to the Queen.

The mother-of-three used to be deacon at St Matthew's Church in Wolverhampton before becoming priest at the Church of the Good Shepherd in West Bromwich.

The General Synod is this week likely to approve legislation that will see women promoted to bishop within two years.

But opponents are attempting to change the way the new church law will work by seeking an amendment that will give them the legal right to ignore the authority of any female bishop, bypass her completely and elect to be led by a male one instead.

"It is like apartheid," says Hudson-Wilkin, who was born in Jamaica. "A lot of these guys are saying, 'Oh, we accept that women have got to be made bishops, it's just that we don't really want them to minister to us.'

"It's not that dissimilar from those who said, 'OK, we accept that apartheid needs to be abolished but can we just have one bus which is white only, so we can ride in it?'?"

The 51-year-old from Montego Bay is now based at her vicarage in east London and travels by bus to the Palace of Westminster to act as chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. She is also a chaplain to the Queen.

"Her Majesty is a human being, like everyone else. She does have a deep personal faith," she said.

Recalling her first steps into the Church, Rev Hudson-Wilkin said: "I was growing up in Montego Bay. Women's lib was not part of my life. I simply had this overwhelming sense that this was what I was called to do. Of course, the Church said, 'No, you're a woman.' My reaction was, 'That's silly."