Great news has just emerged from the Vatican. The pope will be creating a new Anglican rite for Anglicans who want to become Catholic. This will ease the transistion of tens of thousands of Anglicans who want to come home to Rome. There's a few things to keep in mind. These people must become Catholic and will be subject to the Pope like all Catholics are now. There will be no difference. The only difference is that they will have a liturgy that they are more or less used to. Catholics could also attend these Anglican-rite Catholic Churches.
The main reasons why Anglicans are becoming interested in the Catholic Church is that there have been many unfortunate changes in the Anglican church, including female ordination, acceptance of homosexual lifestyles and bishops and blessing of homosexual unions. The liberalization of the Anglican church started in 1930 when they became the first Christian church to accept contraception. It sort of went downhill from there. At this point, there is a real schism in the Anglican communion between conservative and liberal factions.
That's not to say these are the only reason former Anglicans are now Catholic. A look theologically will show the Anglican church lost holy orders several centuries ago, and therefore their sacraments are not valid. Some are surely joining because they recognize the Catholic Church as the one founded by Jesus Christ which has maintained the four marks of the church - one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
This is great news. Let's look forward to welcoming our Anglican brothers and sisters into full communion with the Church.
Hi Phil, I'm interested in finding out more about this. Would you please provide a source for this information?
ReplyDeleteSome further information can be found here: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=34678
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phil. Also, I thought of two other titles you could've used for your article which are far more representative of the actual events in question.
ReplyDelete"Vatican and Anglicans finally unite thanks to common contempt for women, gays."
"Vatican vultures gathering to pick up the spoils of the dying Anglican carcass."
Phil
ReplyDeleteAs always, great post! However, I disagree on it being good news. Yes, unity of all is what Jesus wants and the hope of most Christians. I have no problem with married former Anglican priests. I know one and he is an excellent priest and his wife is a wonderful woman who must have to make many sacrifices. I do think it is a bit unfair to our "cradle Catholic" priests though! But that isn't what I disagree with you on. I don't like this "Anglican-rite" Catholic bit. The way I see it is this, the Catholic Church is not a supermarket. You don't pick and choose. You take everything, like it or lump it.
Thanks for a very interesting blog site. It gets us thinking and that is not a feature of a lot of blogs I've come across! God bless.
Breadgirl, there has been diversity in the Church since day one. Allowing an Anglican Rite is no different than allowing an Eastern Catholic Rite, and neither smack of a "supermarket" mentality. The monolithic "one way only" church that you believe to be the norm was a product of the post-Reformation period. It served a purpose, but was not indicative of all that went before. Are you aware that there were at one time, several sanctioned versions of the Mass? Anglicans use the Sarum version, which is pre-Reformation. Quite traditional, and a part of Roman Catholic heritage too.
ReplyDeletewww.Atonementonline.com (Anglican Rite in full union with Rome)
ReplyDelete"St Peter lives in Rome" by Robert A. Stackpole
(former Anglican priest)
The Bishop of Rome will have no power over me. God save the Queen.
ReplyDelete