The Anglican General Synod in York agreed last month to bring forward the legislation to allow women as bishops the start of a long process of debate that will go before both houses of parliament in Britain for final approval.

While it will not affect the Anglican Church in Australia, the move is opposed by Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen.

Reverend Albany as rector of St Mark's Anglican Church, South Hurstville, said there was no reason why women could not be priests and bishops.

He put a motion at the last two Sydney synods, calling for the acceptance of women as priests and bishops in Sydney.

Some have called him brave for standing up to the Sydney Diocese, but he said he was just being true to his faith.

"We already have women bishops in Western Australia and Victoria, but Dr Jensen opposed having women not only as bishops but as priests,'' Reverend Albany said.

"There are 23 Anglican dioceses in Australia and 18 have women priests, some since 1992, but not in Sydney.

"So much so that if a woman has been ordained elsewhere she is not allowed to work as a visiting priest in Sydney, where a male can.

"Dr Jensen is saying that he is being true to what the Bible says. I say this is a misreading of what the Bible says. His position is based on something that St Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:12: ``I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silence.''

"I believe St Paul must have been speaking of a particular situation or incident in the church at that time, and not generally. There there is nothing in the Bible that prevents women from sharing in all levels of the church.

"If the Bible had universal prohibitions on women, then we would not have examples in the Old and New Testaments of women in positions of authority as lawkeepers, judges, teachers, elders and apostles.