Two Anglican Bishops to seek communion with Rome

The Telegraph, U.K. ^ | July 8, 2008 | Damian Thompson

[CTrent1564]

The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, is to lead his fellow Anglo-Catholics from the Church of England into the Roman Catholic Church, the Catholic Herald will reveal this week.

Bishop Burnham, one of two "flying bishops" in the province of Canterbury, has made a statement asking Pope Benedict XVI and the English Catholic bishops for "magnanimous gestures" that will allow traditionalists to become Catholics en masse.

He is confident that this will happen, following talks in Rome with Cardinal Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Kasper, the Vatican's head of ecumenism. He was accompanied on his visit by the Rt Rev Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough, the other Canterbury "flying bishop", who is expected to follow his example.

[CTrent1564]

To other Free Republic Posters. If this has already been posted, I apologize. I did not see it anywhere, but it is interesting news.

Catholic-leaning Anglicans please feel free to reply and let us know what you are hearing.

Regards and God Bless

[livius]

Wow! (I don't think it's been posted, btw.)

He is confident that this will happen, following talks in Rome with Cardinal Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Kasper, the Vatican's head of ecumenism.

In other words, they bypassed the awful British Catholic bishops, who were rumored to have blocked a similar attempt under JPII. Deo gratias!

[ichabod1]

I don’t see why they can’t do it in large groups, as long as they go through RCIA and get properly confirmed. They can’t have the Pope snap his fingers and say they’re Catholic now... they haven’t been validly confirmed.

[CTrent1564]

You are correct, but it can be done en masse. The Anglican Bishops and priests would be ordained under the Pastoral provision, which has been available since 1980. Please see link below. Also, note that there are 6 Anglican use parishes in the United States, thus a working model is already present.

http://www.pastoralprovision.org/

In 2003, then Cardinal Ratizinger sent a letter to Traditional Anglicans at a meeting in Plano encouraging them to stand fast to Apostolic Tradition, the Creeds, and orthodox doctrine on Liturgy, morality, etc. Cardinal Ratzinger was also involved in the mass conversion of some 700 Anglican clergy in 1992 to 1994 when the ordination of women clergy became doctrine/policy of the Church of England.

What would happen is entire parishes would come into full communion by receiving the sacrament of Confirmation by Catholic Priests/Bishops, recite the Profession of Faith (Creed) and then receive Holy Communion.

Again, this has been done in the U.S. Go back to the pastoral provision link and look up Fr. Eric Bergman who pastors and Anglican Use parish in Pennsylvania. He, and some 200 of his parishoners came into Full communion with Rome en masse so I don’t see why it can’t be done for English Anglicans as well.

Interesting Times and the papacy of Papa Benedict keeps getting more and more exciting.

All of us Catholics should pray for our fellow Christians in the Anglican Communion and that provisions will be made for them to come into the Catholic Church and retain much of their beautiful Anglican Liturgy, which after all, is a product of the Sarum-use form of the Roman Rite, which was the predominate form of the Roman Liturgy celebrated in England going back to the early 13th century.

Regards and God Bless

[marshmallow]

Tiber swim bump!!

[Faraday]

The issue is not that the Church of England has become heretical. It has been that since its founding. Would that the Anglocatholics follow the example of the TAC and sign the Cathecism, proclaiming their agreement to all that the Church teaches. Humility and submission to the Spirit as exhibited in the Church is most becoming in converts.

[johnnycap]

Am I right in understanding that the Queen, the head of the Church of England, secretly meets with the Roman Catholic Archbishop and is believed to have received Holy Communion from him? The until lately Prime Minister has just converted to Roman Catholicism. A good one third of Church of England and Anglican congregations across the globe are inches away from bolting and the Pope has his arms wide open and is willing to make transitional compromise? Sounds to me like this five hundred year old nightmare is coming to an end. I’d bet that in twenty years, what remains of the once great episcopal church will be part of the UCC.

[johnnycap]

Am I right in understanding that the Queen, the head of the Church of England, secretly meets with the Roman Catholic Archbishop and is believed to have received Holy Communion from him? The until lately Prime Minister has just converted to Roman Catholicism. A good one third of Church of England and Anglican congregations across the globe are inches away from bolting and the Pope has his arms wide open and is willing to make transitional compromise? Sounds to me like this five hundred year old nightmare is coming to an end. I'd bet that in twenty years, what remains of the once great episcopal church will be part of the UCC. The bulk of the believers having long since returned to the Roman church where they have always belonged. All that blood and treasure (the monasteries of England), lost because of Henry's petulance...Henry VIII is the Jimmy Carter of the sixteenth century in that his short sighted actions set in motion incredibly deep long term repercussions.

[CTrent1564]

True to a point, but one can’t take the sins of King Henry VIII and Thomas Cramner and extrapolate them to Anglicans today. And for the record, many of the Catholic-leaning Anglicans, who were influenced by the Oxford Movement (Tractarians), such as Cardinal Newman, Fr. Ronald Knox, Fr. Gerald Manly Hopkins, S.J., G.K. Chesterton, etc, actually prayed for the Pope in their Liturgies.

Many of these Anglicans with Catholic leanings saw themselves as working to bring The Church of England, corporately, back into Full Communion with Rome.

I think all of us lifelong Catholics should do well to read St. Luke’s Gospel about the prodigal son (c.f. Luke 15: 11-32; or as Pope Benedict refers to as the story of the 2 brothers: See Jesus of Nazareth) and treat Anglicans coming back to Rome as members of the family seeking sincere reconciliation and not act like the older brother in that Gospel.

Regards and God Bless

[Petronski]

Ping

[Salvation]

Convert bishops!

[sionnsar]

Thanks to Petronski for the ping.

Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

FReepmail Huber or sionnsar if you want on or off this moderately high-volume ping list (sometimes 3-9 pings/day).
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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[Salvation]

Actually rather than RCIA, the priest and bishops, formerly Anglican, must take Catholic theology and other classes.

[353FMG]

“..papacy of Papa Benedict keeps getting more and more exciting.”

When JPII died there were many who despaired asking who could possibly take over the job of Vicar of Christ.

Have no fear, B16 is here. (Courtesy of the Holy Spirit)

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually, it is also possible for Anglicans/Episcopalian laymen to be confirmed in the Catholic Church without taking OCIA/RCIA.

< *cough*cough* >

We met with our rector 2-3 times and went over all the details. If you are a real, true-blue, more-Roman-than-Rome "nosebleed Anglican", then the ONLY issues on the table are the validity of Anglican Orders and the supremacy of the Pope. That's it.

Not to mention that I would have been a truly royal pain in an RCIA class . . . . not only because I am a pedant and read the Church Fathers for medieval history, but also because High Anglicans never even acknowledged the existence of Vatican Council II.

[Faraday]

Indeed, we must rejoice in the return of the lost sheep.

Regarding the prodigal son:

His change of heart, his "conversion," consists in his recognition of this, his realization that he has become alienated and wandered into truly "alien lands," and his return to himself. What he finds in himself, though, is the compass pointing toward the father, toward the true freedom of a "son." The speech he prepares for his homecoming reveals to us the full extent of the inner pilgrimage he is now making. His words show that his whole life is now a steady progress leading "home"--through so many deserts--to himself and to the father. He is on a pilgrimage toward the truth of his existence, and that means "homeward." --Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, p. 205

May the Anglican converts adopt the wisdom of the prodigal son.

[ichabod1]

I mostly just wanted them to have to take sit through RCIA because I had to. But they would have to be confirmed. That's not such a biggie though, because unlike (afaik) in the Episcopal church, you can be confirmed by a priest in extraordinary circumstances, as I was. I felt a little bit ripped off and discounted at the time.

[annalex]

not act like the older brother

And not act like the liberal Catholic bishops in England who dread the influx of conservative Catholics who love the Pope.

[KC Burke]

might be of interest to you