Anglicans Vote to Ordain Women Bishops. Canterbury Trail Leading to Rome?

By Deacon Keith A. Fournier
7/13/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Anglicans coming into full communion with the Catholic Church will be a resource for this new missionary age

What brought the Anglican Communion to this insurmountable division is as fundamental a theological issue as one can imagine; the structure, nature, mission and purpose of the Church. It is no accident that this historic vote occurred right before the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, travels to the United Kingdom where he will beatify the great witness of the Catholic vision of the Church, the late John Henry Cardinal Newman. In fact, it is prophetic.

On Monday, July 11, 2010, the last effort at a compromise move proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, failed. The national assembly voted to ordain women as Bishops in the Anglican Church.

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LONDON (Catholic Online) - On Monday, July 11, 2010, the last effort at a compromise move proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, failed. The national assembly voted to ordain women as Bishops in the Anglican Church. During the weekend leading up to this historic vote, 70 members of the Clergy met in Leicester, central England with Catholic Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham.

They discussed coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. Some Press reports present the dispute as "traditionalists" vs. the "enlightened". In reality it is a division between those who want to move away from Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy and those who seek to be faithful to the historic Christian faith handed down to us from the Apostles.

In truth, what brought the Anglican Communion to this insurmountable division is as fundamental a theological issue as one can imagine; the structure, nature, mission and purpose of the Church. In his typical manner, Damien Thompson of the Telegraph described it quite clearly, " Tonight the Church of England finally acknowledged something that has been obvious since 1992, when it decided to ordain women priests: that it remains, despite the Oxford Movement, and as John Henry Newman came to believe very firmly, a Protestant Church."

However, there are many within the Anglican Communion who held onto a very different vision, a catholic ecclesial vision. Now, the question is where will the Canterbury trail lead? I have followed the movement of Anglican Clergy and lay faithful toward the safe harbor that is found in the Bark of Peter. I grieved along with many of them as their own Christian community was torn asunder by the rejection of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. I grieve with them today in the aftermath of this vote. However, I am also filled great hope and anticipation.

I followed the formal request of the Traditional Anglican Communion for full communion with the Catholic Church from the very beginning. I persisted in covering it after many news sources, including Catholic ones, dismissed the possibility that it would ever bring a positive response from Rome. Now, those who doubted the possibilities it presented know that it received more than a favorable response; it opened up the front door of the House.

The coming influx of faithful, orthodox Anglican Christians into the full communion of the Catholic Church is a gift for the Catholic Church. I believe it is no accident that this historic vote occurred right before the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, travels to the United Kingdom where he will beatify the great witness of the Catholic vision of the Church, the late John Henry Cardinal Newman. In fact, it is prophetic.

Anglicans coming into full communion with the Catholic Church will be a resource for this new missionary age. They will be leaven for the Catholic Church. They will call us to be more faithful to our Catholic identity - in its fullness of expression - and truly begin to live our mission. They will help us rediscover the legitimate diversity within the bedrock unity we have in fidelity to the Magisterium, the teaching office, of the Catholic Church. We are a Church with many beautiful liturgical expressions. What will emerge for these Anglican Christians who come home, in their unique liturgical expression, will be one more gem in the crown of liturgical expressions within the one Church of Christ.

Many Catholics do not even know of the existence of differing liturgies within the One Catholic Church. As a Deacon, I have the privilege of serving at "Mass" (both Novus Ordo and extraordinary form) of the Western Rite. I also have permission to serve the beautiful "Divine Liturgy" of the Eastern or "Byzantine" Church. I love them all. Many Catholics do not even know there are "Eastern" or "Byzantine" Catholics. They also do not know of our full recognition of the Orthodox Church and the historic movement toward the healing between Eastern and Western Christianity currently underway.

The Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans seeking full communion (Anglicanorum Coetibus) and the norms which accompany it form a juridic structure which will integrate our brethren into full and visible unity with the One Catholic Church while maintaining elements which reflect their Anglican patrimony. It will dramatically affect the ecclesial landscape of our Church going forward. The coming reunion of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, breathing with both lungs, East and West, is the only real hope for a Western culture ravaged by neo-paganism.

In the midst of the darkness of this hour the Catholic Church is doing what she has done for over two millennia; shine the light of the Truth. The "Dictatorship of Relativism" has been engaged by the faithful followers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The ...

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1 - 10 of 17 Comments

terry paul
1 year ago
You sure this "article" was written by a Roman Catholic? The Ones who proclaim we are all made in the image and likeness of God. The Ones who proclaims we were made to love and serve God on this earth. The Ones who proclaim God is love. Wow!!!
The Catholic Church is sacred of letting woman into the episcopal role? To blame the Holy Spirit for that position. Wow!! Might that be heresy? One human person made that decision and hopefully God is giving him an earful.
Tim
1 year ago
"Revolution," conveys the wrong idea. Our Lord's doctrine is radical, but I think because it is contrary to the natural and carnal man, which men often love "revolution," and often impose their "revolutions" (such as relativism, which you correctly called a "Dictatorship") to the detriment of Christianity or Christian wisdom ; in fact, revolution is often code for casting off the Church's teaching, and flying to the ideological comforts of some ficticious Utopia. "Radical change" is perhaps a better term, as all truth demands conformity to it ; for example, a child that imagines he is impervious is "radically changed" when he touches a hot stove top, contrary to his mother's warnings and command. The pain signifies his vulnerability, and henceforth he learns (if he has any sense about him) to listen to his mother's command, which he now knows is meant not to tyrannize him, but rather lovingly spare him from such needless pains. Christ's teachings and commands appear tyrannical to many ; however, the pain experienced from the errors of the "neo-paganism" that you refered to cries out for a "radical change," and this pain is experienced amidst our "revolutionary" societies.
Pax,
Tim
Krysia
1 year ago
I remain puzzled as to why, in the interest of unification, the Catholic Church is eager to welcome married Christian priests into the Roman Catholic Church, yet forbids this same source of grace to their own priests. Obviously, the church has no problem with having non-celibate priests, but rather it has a problem with those who were born Cartholic. Small wonder priestly vocations are dropping off.
TaylorKH
1 year ago
Prophetic: The Pope opens the door; the sheep herder of the guests outside of the door scares the guests with a strange practice; the guests hurry into the Church for the protection of Truth which provide rests for the obedient and humble children.
David N.
1 year ago
I want to address two comments.

First, the historical reason why roman catholics didn't/don't know about the Eastern Orthodox Church is because for many years the roman catholic parochial schools didn't teach it to the students. Question remains, how could the original church of the East get deleted or overlooked by their schools?

Secondly, to address anthony UK's post. Sure a coming together would be good but it will never happen until the western churches renounce centuries of revisionism. If a Christian studies his Church history from objective sources than my words not fall on deaf ears.

History is clear that the early Church wasn't about Rome only. Any one who has studied this history knows that the early Church had FIVE Patriarchal seats (Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome). Four in the East and one in the West, and of course this was made self evident at the Council of Nicea 325.

Church was collegiate and not about only partriarchal seat only.
vance
1 year ago
I say Welcome Home to all protestants who have been touched by the Holy Spirit to come back to Holy Mother Church. I hope that any reunifications will not come at the expense of compromising Catholic beliefs and traditions. The ordination of women to the office of Bishop flies in the face of our Holy Father's visit to the UK.
Dismas
1 year ago
In an era where Christianity has been under such great attack and so influenced by heretical modernism, secular humanism and moral relativism, few things have given me so such hope regarding true Ecumenism and Christian reunification as this article has. It is my greatest hope and I will continue to pray daily that this paradox of evil continues to be turned into one the greatest triumphs for Christianity in this century.
pete salveinini
1 year ago
Yes, Prophetic, indeed, the fulfillment of several prophcies from the past are beginning, and the beatification of Newman may just hurry it along.
"under one Elizabeth England was taken from the Church; under a Second Elizabeth, England will return to the Church"!
Kevin
1 year ago
Exciting news! It's a pity, however, that the "Print" link prints only what's on the web page instead of the whole article.
Lawrence
1 year ago
What i would like to inform the readers about is this,this mrlacle is not being done by the Pope but it`s by the Holy Spirit that guides the Catholic church.
It`s the Holy Spirit that is bringing those Brothers and Sisters back to the Universal church.
I have hope and i will continue praying that one time that the entire world will join the Universal church.
Let`s keep pryaying for our mother church and those who wish to join to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Long live the Holy Father.

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