The Anglican Church, at least according to the 1991 census, remains the largest Christian denomination in Bermuda, and for that reason alone, it is the Island's leading spiritual guide for much of the community.

The announcement on Tuesday that the Bishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, who is considered to be liberal and in favour of the ordination of women priests, will be Archbishop of Canterbury, should be welcomed.

It seems unfair in this day and age that women should be considered unable to fulfil the functions required of a priest and less able than men to guide their congregations.

It is also unfair that women Anglicans who wish to respond to their calling are unable to do so, except as deacons or nuns.

As a purely practical matter, like other mainstream churches, the Anglican church is having difficulty attracting new entrants to the priesthood. That is as true in Bermuda as it is throughout the world. Yet there are women in Bermuda who want to serve their church who are prevented from doing so.

Other churches in Bermuda, including the African Methodist Episcopal Churches and the Presbyterians, have had women priests for decades who have served their congregations well.

Just as Anglicans find it difficult to believe that the Roman Catholic Church cannot accept that married priests cannot serve their congregations, so it is difficult to believe that the Anglican church cannot accept that women priests can perform as well as men.

It is to be hoped that the Anglicans, under their new Archbishop, will see that this move is a reasonably one. Once it has been taken, most Anglicans will wonder what all the fuss was about.