The Roman Catholic Church leadership made the headlines twice this past week, once because the Vatican has now opened the door to receiving disgruntled Anglican priests into the fold (without having to give up their wives), and once because certain supposedly Catholic Presidents of African countries have been warned that their behavior just won't do (think Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe). Here are the links from the NY Times to the two stories---
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/world/europe/21pope.html?th&emc=th
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/world/africa/24bishops.html?th&emc=th
Unlike some Protestant leaders , the Pope, and indeed Catholic bishops have never been shy about weighing in on matters political or controversial. In the latter story Mugabe and one other African President is asked to either change his ways or resign!! I'm trying to imagine a Methodist bishop in the U.S. asking President Obama to do that. I don't see it happening. In some ways the former story is more interesting. Here is a brief quote from the former story---
"Anglicans would be able "to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony," Cardinal William J. Levada, the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said at a news conference here.
It was unclear why the Vatican made the announcement now. But it seemed a rare opportunity, audaciously executed, to capitalize on deep divisions within the Anglican Church to attract new members at a time when the Catholic Church has been trying to reinvigorate itself in Europe.
The issue has long been close to the heart of Pope Benedict XVI, who for years has worked to build ties to those Anglicans who, like conservative Catholics, spurn the idea of female and gay priests.
Catholic and Anglican leaders sought on Tuesday to present the move as a joint effort to aid those seeking conversion. But it appeared that the Vatican had engineered it on its own, presenting it as a fait accompli to the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, only in recent weeks. Some Anglican and Catholic leaders expressed surprise, even shock, at the news."I have asked my friend the good Bishop Tom Wright to comment on this development, but he will wait until he reads the full text of what came out of the Vatican first. Stay tuned for further comment and developments. Between the defections in the American Episcopal Church caused by the ordination of gays and lesbians, and now this shot across the Anglican bow from the other side of the ledger things have been difficult for the Anglicans of late. The Anglican communion could certainly use all our prayers about now.
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In regards to the timing, it is interesting that this comes just months after some in Orthodox churches (OCA) expressed interest in developing a stronger dialogue between OCA and Anglicans.
What a coincidence. I was just thinking that. Just earlier this month there was a fairly substantial ecumenical conference held at Nashotah House Theological Seminary between scholars of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Actually, all the presentations, lectures, discussions are available in podcast form here: http://ancientfaith.com/specials/in_the_footsteps_of_tikhon_and_grafton
The rejection of the filioque clause is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles for Anglican conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy, among other issues. Though without question Anglicans have been embracing the Eastern Orthodox Church. The "Faith of our Fathers Anglican Colloquium" from early 2007 clearly highlights this fact: http://ancientfaith.com/specials/anglican_colloquium
I'm rather intrigued by all this (and have a stake in some of it, as my wife is becoming an Episcopal priest). Normally, I would call one denomination opening it's doors to another denomination to a "Good Thing." My own PC(USA) has a number of other denominations we have "full communion" with (meaning that pastors from one can become pastors of the other, should they so choose), and I've never considered this a negative.
Yet, pretty much no one I've talked to seem to see this as a positive. Rather, it seems to be designed to weaken the Episcopal church even further and to highlight the areas of controversy even more.
Strange, but sad.
The timing of this is much easier to understand in the context of specific formal requests, such as the one from the Traditional Anglican Communion for full communion with the Catholic Church (while preserving Anglican traditions). The TAC consists of 16 member churches on five continents. Here is an excerpt from a statement in 2007 authorized by Archbishop John Hepworth, the Primate of the TAC:
“The College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) met in Plenary Session in Portsmouth, England, in the first week of October 2007. The Bishops and Vicars-General unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union. The letter was signed solemnly by all the College and entrusted to the Primate and two bishops chosen by the College to be presented to the Holy See. The letter was cordially received at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Primate of the TAC has agreed that no member of the College will give interviews until the Holy See has considered the letter and responded.”
From this it is clear that the Vatican announcement of the Personal Ordinariate is a response to these requests from Anglican groups and their particular pastoral needs.
Archbishop John Hepworth’s response to the Vatican announcement is here.
Letters of response from members of the TAC are here.
The response of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada is here.
The TAC website is here.
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