The Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of consecrating women and against safeguards demanded by traditionalists opposed to the move. A Church group will now draw up a code of practice to try to reassure critics. But Roman Catholic leaders believe this goes against the will of Christ, who chose only men as his apostles.Apostolic tradition
In a statement, Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, said: 'For the future, this decision will have consequences for dialogue, which until now had borne much fruit. Such a decision is a break with apostolic tradition maintained in all of the Churches in the first millennium, and is therefore a further obstacle for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.'