Church of England Prepares for Vote on Female Bishops LONDON - Two decades after it supported the introduction of women priests, the Church of England was set to begin three days of deliberations on Monday that will include a critical vote on the ordination of female bishops - a notion that still splits its members and priests into rival camps. The 470-member national assembly of the church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion that is deeply divided on issues of gender and sexuality, is to vote on Tuesday on the issue. The measure requires the approval of all three houses of the synod - grouping bishops, clergy and laity - by a two-thirds majority. While bishops and clerics are regarded as likely to endorse a compromise allowing traditionalist parishes to reject the authority of female bishops, the vote among lay members is far less assured, according to British analysts. Almost all the 44 Church of England bishoprics have indicated support for the measure. Women currently account for one third of the Anglican clergy and around half of those in training as priests, but the question of female bishops stirs passionate debate among Anglicans, almost one fourth of them in Africa, along with other issues such as the church's attitude to same-sex marriage and homosexuality. The vote is also a test of the authority of both the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and his successor, Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham. Dr. Williams is set to retire at the end of this year. Both he and Bishop Welby have said they will vote in favor of the compromise. In an open letter published in The Independent newspaper on Monday, more than 1,000 church members urged the synod to accept women bishops. "Just as the churches have repented of our historic anti-Semitism and endorsement of slavery, so we believe that we must now show clearly that we no longer believe women to be inferior to men," the letter said. If the synod approves the measure, the first female bishops could be appointed in 2014.