He wasn't available, but he e-mailed this statement, which he's releasing to the media:
It is dramatic put down of liberal Anglicanism and a total repudiation of the ordination of women, homosexual marriage and the general neglect of doctrine in Anglicanism. It basically interprets Anglicanism as a spiritual parimony based on ethnic tradition rather than substantial doctrine and makes clear that it is not an historic "church" but rather an "ecclesial community"' that strayed and now is invited to return to communion with the Pope as Successor of Peter.
The Vatican was careful to schedule simultaneously with the Vatican announcement, press conference of the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and the deeply humiliated Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury to enable to enable the Anglicans to save some face by saying that this recognizes the spiritual patrimony of Anglicanism and that ecumenical dialogue goes ahead. That is like George Washington at Yorktown saying that he recognizes the cultural contributions of Britain and hopes diplomatic relations flourish. The Apostolic Constitution is not a retraction of ecumenical desires, but rather is the fulfillment of ecumenical aspirations, albeit not the way most Anglican leaders had envisioned it.
The press, often uninformed and sensationalistic in matters of religion, will zoom in on the permission for married priests. They will miss the most important point: that this reiterates the Catholic Church's insistence that Anglican Holy Orders are invalid, and perforce so is their Eucharist.
These married Anglican priests have to be fully ordained validly by a
Catholic bishop. Following Orthodox custom, they are allowed to marry only before ordination and not after. And no married man may become a bishop.
(Thus, any Anglican bishop joining one of these "ordinariates" would no longer be recognized as a bishop. Under special provision, Anglican bishops would have some right to pastoral authority, but would not be bishops.)
It remains to be seen how many Anglicans (Epscopalians in the USA) will be received into the Catholic Church under these provisions, but it is a final nail in the coffin of the rapidily disintegrating Anglicanism at least in the West are will radically challenge Anglicans in other parts of the world.
Perhaps most importantly, it sets a precedent for reunion with Orthodox churches whose Holy Orders the Catholic Church already recognizes as valid.
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Deacon Roy:
As you know, the rules are that deacons may not marry once they are ordained. If they become widowed, they cannot re-marry. If they are single when they are ordained, they cannot marry.
I assume the Holy Father will require these Anglican converts to follow the same rules. The creation of special "ordinariates" may be an effort to segregate them as a special class from the regular Roman clergy, for the time being.
I was so excited about this that I hardly slept last night. Right now pretty bleary-eyed from all the updates. Don't pretend to understand all the ramifications, but feel celebratory. So I pulled out our DVD of "A Man For All Seasons" and we watched it this afternoon.
It's easy to trace some threads that Papa B has been working on for quite some time. He really does believe that the fullness of Christ's Church dwells here.
Every Holy Thursday, when the RCIA catechumens and candidates are at Dismissal for the final time, we always read aloud to each other John 17 in its entirety. Then I ask them about the verse that most describes their heart. Those who come from non-Catholic backgrounds invariably choose 17:21 "so that all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."
It's not a Catholic superiority-complex that evokes that verse -- it's knowing in your heart that Jesus wishes it to be so... May our Advocate and Guide continue to prompt our humble servant, Papa B, and Cardinal Levada.
So all of those who wanted out of the existing Anglican because of women priest, gay clergy and special rights, and other liberal issues being forced onto them now have a path to a Church that still holds these positions as non negotiable. Maybe the catholics who voted for Obama can find a clear path over to the religion these people want to leave. Kind of like a big trade between two teams that have disgruntled team members. It will certainly strengthen the conservative movement in the Catholic Church toward the real meanings of Vatican II and a restoration of many wonderful Catholic Church traditions.
A basic tenet of the theology of the Holy Trinity is that there is unity in diversity.
Well, we see where that has led us! God have mercy on everyone either dancing on supposed graves or who want to take their toys to a new sandbox.
Imagine if everyone reacted with such vigor the moment the last nail went into the Cross of Christ.
Quoting Aquinas, hardly a "liberal," allow me to add:
"Incorporeal things are not in place after a manner known and familiar to us, in which way we say that bodies are properly in place; but they are in place after a manner befitting spiritual substances, a manner that cannot be fully manifest to us." [St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Supplement, Q69, a1, reply 1]
Why are we so fixed on a "fixed" church? Whatever is alive is always in flux and change.
And what is more alive than the Body of Christ?
I'm an Episcopalian. Where do i sign up! What is the process for an individual to "come home"?
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