 |
|---|
| Lighten Up, Francis! |
| Fundraising posts only happen quarterly, and are gone as soon as we meet the goal. Help make it happen. |
Posted on 10/04/2003 8:13:26 AM PDT by schaketo
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A visibly tired Pope John Paul told the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday that allowing openly homosexual clergy in the Anglican communion was a "serious difficulty" on the path to Christian unity.
The 83-year-old pope had difficulty reading his speech in English at the first visit by Rowan Williams to the Vatican.
Williams, who was appointed last year, and the pope met privately for only 10 minutes ahead of the public part of the visit, which was open to a few reporters.
The private part was apparently kept short because of the pope's health. According to a papal aide, the pope started the meeting by asking Williams about "the situation in your church."
The pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was determined to read his two-page speech, although many of his words were difficult to understand.
"As we give thanks for the progress that has already been made we must also recognize that new and serious difficulties have arisen on the path to unity," the pope said, his body visibly shaking as he sat in his private study.
This was a clear reference to the crisis currently rocking the Anglican communion after the Episcopalian Church in the United States appointed an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
"These difficulties are not all of a disciplinary nature, some extend to matters of faith and morals," the pope said.
Williams, wearing the traditional Anglican purple cassock and a cross given to him by the pope when he was appointed to Canterbury last year, was less direct.
In his speech, the bearded Williams spoke only of the "possibilities and challenges of our way forward together."
WOMEN PRIESTS
Both men said they were committed to unity between the churches that split in 1534.
"We share a desire to deepen our communion," the pope said.
As the Anglican delegation, which include Williams' wife Jane, left the study, they each bent to kiss the pope's ring.
Despite the cordial atmosphere, Williams' visit to the Vatican has been overshadowed by the Anglican crisis over whether or not to ordain openly homosexual men.
The crisis was sparked this year by the appointment by U.S. Anglicans of Gene Robinson as their first openly gay bishop.
Traditionalists, particularly the Africans, have denounced the move. They threaten to break with churches that bless same-sex unions and are considering ways to redraw the Anglican world map to escape liberal provinces.
Williams, a liberal who personally supports gays in the church, hosts a summit of Anglican leaders this month to try to avert a crisis in the 70 million-member world communion.
The two churches already are deeply split over the ordination of women priests, which Anglicans allow but the Vatican says Catholicism will never permit.
The homosexual issue was also on the agenda when Williams met on Friday with Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Vatican department for Christian Unity.
"I expressed my concerns over this problem, because it is not only an internal problem of the Anglican Communion, but it also touches on our relations," Kasper told Vatican Radio.
|
|---|
| Lighten Up, Francis! |
| Fundraising posts only happen quarterly, and are gone as soon as we meet the goal. Help make it happen. |
Respectfully, your statement is incorrect. There are elements of the Anglican church worldwide that accept declared, openly-practicing gay clergy -- but they are in the distinct minority and are about to be put in their place. The Anglican faith tradition does not accept declared, openly-practicing gay clergy.
One could equally say that the Roman Catholic faith tradition accepts pedophile clergy, but you and I know that is not the case.
| Homosexual Agenda: Categorical Index of Links |
| Homosexual Agenda Index (bump list) |
| Homosexual Agenda Keyword Search |
| All FreeRepublic Bump Lists |
I wonder if he also personally supports those sexually immoral, adulterers and male prostitutes as well. As then he would personally support all those listed here who will not "inherit the kingdom of God."
I would have thought that fact would be the headline item. But after checking around I find that at least a previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, set the precedent in 1966. Archbishops have been visiting Popes since 1960, beginning with Dr. Geoffrey Fisher's visit to Pope John XXIII. The last visit before that had been in 1397.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.