First female bishop consecrated in Netherlands at Haarlem's Old Catholic Church

Erna Peijnenburg was consecrated as the first female bishop in Dutch history on Saturday at the Sint Bavokerk in Haarlem, marking a historic milestone for the Old Catholic Church in the Netherlands. Peijnenburg, previously a pastor in Alkmaar and Enkhuizen, was elected by the diocese's electoral college in late August. She succeeds Dick Schoon, who retired in June, and becomes the nineteenth bishop of Haarlem. The Old Catholic Church, a small denomination with about 5,000 members, split from the Roman Catholic Church in the early 18th century. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, it allows women in all clerical offices.