The Church of England's governing body, the General Synod, voted in favor of the decision late on Monday after a day-long heated debate, during which over 1,000 members threatened to leave the Church over the issue.
"The decision is a major blow to the Anglican community as it will deepen existing internal disputes," Father Igor Vyzhanov, a senior official in the Moscow Patriarchy, said.
"It is regrettable that tendencies imposed by radical liberals are beginning to dominate the Anglican community," Vyzhanov said. "The decision will have a regrettable effect on inter-Christian relations, as the Church of England is drifting further away from the Apostolic tradition."
Anglican bishops from around the world will gather for the Lambeth Conference later this month to discuss the ordination of a gay bishop in the United States and blessings for same-sex marriages in Canada.
The statement echoes the Vatican's response on Tuesday. The Holy See called the move a historic break from the Christian doctrine, driving Anglicans and Catholics further apart.
Vyzhanov said women have never in church history been ordained as bishops. The tradition, he said, has deep roots and a profound theological significance, which cannot be altered for social purposes.
He said Christ chose only men as his apostles, although women accompanied him and were the first to learn of his Resurrection. Vyzhanov noted that there are many canonized women saints titled equal-to-the-apostles in Eastern Orthodoxy for their outstanding service in the spreading and assertion of Christianity.
"Women can be active members of the church community in many other ways," he said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, told the Synod he was "committed to the ordination of women," and that it would be humiliating for the Church if women were refused.
Women were first allowed into the 450-year-old Church of England as priests since 1992. About one sixth of serving priests in the church are female.
Monday's decision will require the further approval of the Church Synod, and if approved the first female Anglican bishop could be ordained after 2012.
