LONDON (Reuters) - The Church of England's governing body on Wednesday threw out proposals to change its strict dress code for clergy. The changes would have allowed vicars to carry out certain church duties in jeans and T-shirts. Modernizers felt Anglican priests would be more effective if they appeared in less formal attire. But bishops and clergy in the church's General Synod gave a resounding thumbs down to proposals to amend church law to allow ministers to dress more casually.
"It was thought to be a minority issue. Not many were in favor of it to start with," a Church of England spokesman explained "There are fairly strong views on both sides. There are those who feel that wearing a special uniform, robes and so on, acts as a barrier between those exercising a sacred ministry and those to whom they wish to minister," the spokesman said. "The contrary view is that it's handy to have a uniform because it's actually quite useful to know who's doing what."
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