Thanks for posting this insightful article. Clearly Benedict XVI is several steps ahead of the prevailing wisdom.
Yes! A new word every day.
bookmark
Can't see this happening. The Anglicans are a broad church and they take pride in remaining so. There is an Anglo-Catholic section but it has not done much in its long history. The ordination of women priests did not create a big stir and they soon will become bishops. Over time opposition fades and everyone is happy again. Very few people resist change.
One of the big stumbling blocks to Anglo-Catholic reunion has been the question of Anglican orders. In the past, traditionalist Catholics have held that Anglican orders are invalid on the grounds that the rite was not in the correct Catholic format and wording. Anglicans countered that their ordination rites contain all the essential elements of such rites (laying on of hands, epiclesis, etc). The Ecumenical Patriarch agreed with the Anglicans in 1923. Thanks largely to Vatican II and the new rites, the "magic words" arguement is going away. Today, the 1928 BCP (the liturgy favored by Anglicans serious about Catholic reunion) is demonstrably "more Catholic" than many of today's missals.
The next arguement was apostolic succession. Some Catholics contended that Anglican bishops are not in the historic line of episcopal succession. This arguement is also on the way out as Anglicans can document their succession back to a couple of medieval popes. When the bishops were ousted by Oliver Cromwell, they lived in exile until their restoration to their sees by Charles II (thus preserving the succession).
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Re: “I am sure that had Cardinal Rampolla really been a Mason, he would have been found out and excommunicated by St. Pius X - but he survived the terror of the Sodalitium Pianum years.”
Well now! This tells me a great deal about what the author thinks of SAINT Pius X. Perhaps I am mistaken, maybe it is all sarcasm.
As a former Episcopalian I would like to see the Orthodox Anglican believers swim the Tiber and a mass immigration seems wonderful, but I urge caution. Many of these “conservative” Anglicans are pro abortion (not all but many are), pro birth control (most in fact fit this), pro women priest (you would think they would learn) and a host of other issues from the dogma of Transubstantiation to the Immaculate birth of Mary.
They will need a good course in the Catholic Doctrine; I fear there is no will for that. It is too hard and many will reject the lessons learned. Anglicans have had centuries of cafeteria style doctrine. There is danger here. I am not saying don’t bring them in but I am sounding a warning to too much feel goodism without sound instruction. It wouldn’t do Cradle Catholics no harm to relearn the ancient teachings again either.
My http://romanliturgy.net site has been moved to http://perso.wanadoo.fr/civitas.dei/
Please update your browser bookmarks.
Fr. Anthony Chadwick