Church of England will allow female bishops in historic first

The Church of England voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favor of allowing women to be consecrated as bishops, marking a milestone for the church.

The successful vote comes two years after the church nixed a proposal to allow female bishops. The vote caps two decades of contention that began when the church, in 1994, first allowed women to become priests.

The House of Bishops approved the proposal by a 37-2 vote, the House of Clergy backed it 162-25, and the House of Laity supported it 152-45; it needed two-thirds support among each group to pass.

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