If the church can't accept that women and men are equally made in God's image, what's the point in having women ordained?

On Monday the House of Bishops will meet to discuss whether to try to "tweak" the delicately balanced compromise legislation to allow women to be bishops.

If they do tweak, the General Synod, which must approve the results, should reject the legislation altogether. Any further changes will make the legislation pointless, by undermining the legitimacy of having women as bishops at the same time as saying they can be. How patronising! Those opposed to women's ordination – and, worryingly, many who say they support it – seem to think that this is just about a few ambitious women wanting the pointy hat. How hopelessly, and sadly, wrong that is.

This is about the church finally and unambiguously proclaiming that women and men are both equally made in God's image and able to relate to God in the same way; that gender is not a fundamental dividing line, let alone one that necessitates a hierarchical relationship, between two fundamentally different parts of humanity.

Some people – normally those who want to slow things down – keep repeating that we haven't done the theology properly yet. That normally means that we haven't arrived at the answer they wanted.

Well, I have done the theology, and I seem to have submitted this to countless drafting groups and revision committees, so it's not exactly new. But here is why it matters.

As a body, the Church of England cannot hold two opposing views on women's ordination simultaneously. It is clear that, as individuals, we all hold our very different views on this subject in good conscience and with integrity. But that is very different from saying that official church policy is that both views are equally correct. A church cannot with integrity ordain people whom it simultaneously considers both validly and invalidly ordained.

Since women have been ordained to the priesthood for nearly 20 years, it is clear that the Church of England is a church that ordains women. Synod has repeatedly affirmed since 1975 that there is "no fundamental objection to the ordination of women", and the recent diocesan synod voting shows that the consecration of female bishops is the will of the church. It is important that the legislation to allow female bishops is not framed in such a way as to throw doubt on the legitimacy of very thing it is legislating for. Historically, when the Church of England was first established the canons and the 39 articles made it clear that the Church of England has both the legal right and the ecclesiastical power to decide who is to be ordained. It would be invidious to undermine that statement now over this issue.

Some argue that it is simply impossible for a woman to be a priest or a bishop, and so wish to avoid both our ministry and that of male priests or bishops being tainted by association. But this cannot be accepted as valid simply because it is a deeply held belief. The key theological principle at stake is summed up in the famous phrase of the early church father, Gregory Nazianzen: "the unassumed is the unhealed". Put simply, this means that we can be sure that we are saved because Jesus, in his incarnation, became human. If this is accepted, then Christ, as the fully representative human being as well as fully God, must be understood as essentially having assumed humanity, rather than maleness. In Aquinas' sacramental terminology, Christ's maleness must be essentially "accidental" (meaning incidental): the substance of the incarnation is Christ's humanity.

If the maleness of Christ is to be understood as a key salvific characteristic of the incarnation, or if gender is understood as a fundamental division within humanity, then the theological implication is that women are not included in the saving activity of the incarnation. On this understanding women, to put it bluntly, not only cannot be ordained, but cannot be saved.

The Church of England must firmly and decisively distance itself from any such suggestion, and this is why the full incorporation of women into the threefold ministry of the church is of such immense theological value. It is therefore crucial that the legislation does not compromise this fundamental understanding of gender as an essentially secondary characteristic to humanity.

The current legislation is a major compromise for all parties in this debate, and we can't find a better compromise than this. We can't compromise away the entire point of having women and men together in the threefold ministry, or the theological integrity of our church. There is no point having this legislation just to get female bishops at any price. If the House of Bishops can't bring itself to wholeheartedly endorse women's ordination, I think I will feel I have to vote against the measure at final pproval, rather than vote for enshrining theological incoherence and gender discrimination in canon law.

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Privately owned Falcon 9 craft was due to take off from Cape Canaveral for International Space Station rendezvous attempt

The launch of the privately owned Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida has been aborted after a computer detected a possible problem with one of its engines.

The rocket's engines were shut down just as it was about to leave the launchpad, an official from the US firm SpaceX said on Saturday.

The next launch opportunity is on Tuesday.

SpaceX is the first commercial company to attempt a rendezvous with the International Space Station. Preparations for the company's trial cargo run to the orbiting outpost had been proceeding smoothly until 4:55am EDT (08.55 GMT).

Instead of the rocket's main engines igniting, an onboard computer cancelled the launch after it noticed the chamber pressure in one of the nine Merlin engines was outside its permitted value.

"Liftoff we've had a cutoff. Liftoff did not occur," said Nasa launch commentator George Diller.

Nasa is investing in SpaceX and four other companies to fly cargo and eventually astronauts to the orbital outpost following the retirement of the space shuttles last summer.

The Falcon 9 rocket has flown only twice before, successfully reaching orbit on both occasions. An earlier SpaceX rocket, Falcon-1, failed to reach orbit on its first three test flights, though the company has had no failures since.

Chinese activist's baggage was checked on to flight which departed for Newark, New Jersey

Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington, has left China on a flight to the United States, according to airport staff.

A woman at the United Airlines counter at Beijing airport told Reuters that Chen's luggage was checked in for the flight to Newark, New Jersey, but he was not seen by reporters before the flight departed at 0950 GMT.

Earlier, Chen told the Associated Press that he had left hospital and was at the Beijing airport. He said his wife and two children were with him but they did not yet have their passports. Also with him were hospital and border control staff.

Chen escaped illegal house arrest in his rural town last month and sought the protection of US diplomats. He had been awaiting permission to travel to the US to study.

The US state department has said US visas for Chen, his wife and children are ready for them to travel to America.

The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult US-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The US embassy was not immediately available for comment.

Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch said Chen's departure would be no cause for celebration as his family were still under pressure and there might be less incentive for the central government to investigate wrongdoing by local authorities. More importantly, Bequelin said, it raised questions about the wider environment for activists.

"This is a reflection of the fact that there is no room for human rights defenders in China. We don't know if this will turn into a temporary stay or exile, but in either case, it begs the questions why someone like Chen Guangcheng cannot freely operate in China. What is it that stops the authorities from tolerating or even embracing someone like Chen?"

Chen earlier told Reuters by telephone: "I'm at the airport now. I've already left the hospital. But there are many things that are still unclear.

"Yes, I might be heading for a flight to the United States, but I haven't been told, and I haven't received our passports, so I'm not sure yet. We're waiting to find out what's happening."

The development came about three weeks after Chen arrived at the Chaoyang hospital from the US embassy, where he had taken refuge after a dramatic escape from 19 months under house arrest in his home village.

In 2006 Chen was sentenced to more than four years in jail on charges – vehemently denied by his wife and lawyers – that he whipped up a crowd that disrupted traffic and damaged property.

He was formally released in 2010 but remained under strict house arrest in his home village in north-eastern Shandong province, which officials turned into a fortress of walls, security cameras and guards in plain clothes who kept Chen isolated.

The village of Dongshigu, where Chen's mother and other relatives remain, is still under lockdown.

The US embassy had earlier thought it had struck a deal to allow Chen to stay in China without retribution, but that fell apart as Chen grew worried about his family's safety. He changed his mind about staying in China and asked to travel to the United States.

Human rights are a major factor in relations between China and the United States, even though the US needs China's help on issues such as Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the fragile global economy.

Blind activist at centre of diplomatic storm says he and family expect to fly out once Chinese officials bring them passports

Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington, says he is at an airport waiting to leave for the United States.

Chen told the Associated Press that he had left hospital and was at the Beijing airport. He was expecting to leave for the US later on Saturday.

He said his wife and two children were with him but they did not yet have their passports. Also with him were hospital and border control staff.

Chen escaped illegal house arrest in his rural town last month and sought the protection of US diplomats. He had been awaiting permission to travel to the US to study.

The US state department has said US visas for Chen, his wife and children are ready for them to travel to America.

The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult US-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The US embassy was not immediately available for comment.

Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch said Chen's departure would be no cause for celebration as his family were still under pressure and there might be less incentive for the central government to investigate wrongdoing by local authorities. More importantly, Bequelin said, it raised questions about the wider environment for activists.

"This is a reflection of the fact that there is no room for human rights defenders in China. We don't know if this will turn into a temporary stay or exile, but in either case, it begs the questions why someone like Chen Guangcheng cannot freely operate in China. What is it that stops the authorities from tolerating or even embracing someone like Chen?"

Chen told Reuters by telephone: "I'm at the airport now. I've already left the hospital. But there are many things that are still unclear.

"Yes, I might be heading for a flight to the United States, but I haven't been told, and I haven't received our passports, so I'm not sure yet. We're waiting to find out what's happening."

The development came about three weeks after Chen arrived at the Chaoyang hospital from the US embassy, where he had taken refuge after a dramatic escape from 19 months under house arrest in his home village.

In 2006 Chen was sentenced to more than four years in jail on charges – vehemently denied by his wife and lawyers – that he whipped up a crowd that disrupted traffic and damaged property.

He was formally released in 2010 but remained under strict house arrest in his home village in north-eastern Shandong province, which officials turned into a fortress of walls, security cameras and guards in plain clothes who kept Chen isolated.

The village of Dongshigu, where Chen's mother and other relatives remain, is still under lockdown.

The US embassy had earlier thought it had stuck a deal to allow Chen to stay in China without retribution, but that fell apart as Chen grew worried about his family's safety. He changed his mind about staying in China and asked to travel to the United States.

Human rights are a major factor in relations between China and the United States, even though the US needs China's help on issues such as Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the fragile global economy.

Two girls killed and five pupils injured in attack on Francesca Morvillo Falcone vocational school in Brindisi

A bomb has exploded in front of a school in the southern Italian town of Brindisi, killing two girls and injuring five other pupils.

The device went off as students were arriving at the Francesca Morvillo Falcone vocational school at around 8am (6am GMT).

The school is named after the anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and his wife, who were killed by a mafia bomb in Sicily 20 years ago this weekend.

But authorities said it was unclear if there was an organised crime link to the school blast. As yet, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Three days ago, government officials announced security was being stepped up throughout the country after a shooting that wounded a nuclear energy official, several threats against tax officials and small explosive devices sent to the offices of a tax collection agency.

In Brindisi, the local civil protection agency official Fabiano Amati said two female students have died of their wounds despite attempts to save them, and five other injured students had been admitted to hospital. Sky TG24 TV said one of the victims was a 16-year-old girl.

Officials initially said the device had been left in a bin outside the Morvillo Falcone school. But the Italian news agency Ansa, reporting from Brindisi, later said the device had been placed on a low wall that rings the school.

Public high schools in Italy hold classes on Saturday mornings.

The bombing also follows a number of attacks against Italian officials and government buildings by a group of anarchists, which has prompted authorities to assign bodyguards for 550 individuals and deploy 16,000 law enforcement officers nationwide.

Austerity measures, spending cuts and new and higher taxes, all part of premier Mario Monti's plan to save Italy from succumbing to the debt crisis roiling Greece, have angered many citizens, and social tensions have increased.