Posted on 10/16/2003 11:35:41 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Today the Anglican bishops in London basically punted on the homo clergy issue. A "commission" will look at the issue - - as if the Bible wasn't already clear.
For those Episcopalians who can't bear to go back to church - - but who treasure the liturgy they grew up with -- why ishn't the Roman Catholic Church making more of a marketing effort to win them over? There's a special liturgy that includes elements of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer - under a special papal dispensation. But only a handful of churches - mostly in Texas -- use it.
WHY DOESN'T ROME SEIZE THIS MARKETING OPPORTUNITY AND WELCOME CONSERVATIVE ANGLICANS TO CONVERT BY MAKING "ANGLICAN USE" AVAILABLE, AT SOME SERVICE TIME, AT AT LEAST ONE OR TWO PARISHES IN EVERY STATE?
Last week the pope sent greetings to a group of disaffected conservative Episcopalians. Why doesn't he go beyond that and do some aggressive conversion outreach?
WHen the Episcopal Church has made itself into the Metropolitan Church, only with a few more vestments, then I'm sure there are many rank and file who would be welcome an overture from Rome that would allow them to keep some of their best traditions.
But I'm dubious of the "why isn't Rome doing more" tack because we don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Also, while the Anglican Use undoubtedly is an attractive incentive to swimming the Tiber, there are crucial theological hurdles to be gotten over as well: not the least of which is the Petrine primacy.
To me, the prudent course of action would be to more effectively promote the Anglican Use on its own (independent of any conversion efforts--just so people know it is an option), and work with prospective converts aaway from the media glare with all due respect for their own theological and doctrinal difficulties.
Could be because Religion isn't about "Marketing". I don't feel it's necessary for the Catholic Church, or any other religion, to try and turn the Episcopalians' trouble into a numbers game. People will congregate and worship where they feel most comfortable.
What the hey. Does the writer think that if the religion with the most counted numbers will control heaven?
And before people can congregate where they feel most comfortable, they have to know that the church is there. The Anglican Use Rite is practiced only in a handful of churches in Texas and one in Columbia SC. It isn't as well known as it should be.
Because I love the grand language of Archbishop Cranmer's prayerbook and the time-honored rituals of the Anglican church, I would welcome the opportunity to attend an Anglican Use service. And since there is no way we are staying in our current parish, I think we would wind up making such a church our home.
I think I'll call Archbishop Donahue's office and see if they have any plans in the works.
Thank you! I had THOUGHT there was an AU parish in LV, or so I thought someone had once told me, but when I was in LV on a convention a few years ago, I tried in vain to find it - - no mention in yellow pages or information. So there had been one, but it was shut down. Why? Do you know? My own suspicion is that conservative converts from anglicanism scare liberal RC bishops
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