[danielmryan]

It could be said that the Pope opened himself up to the offer by breaking bread with Anglicans. In Canada, despite the Anglicans having "Catholic" in the formal name of their church, they're counted as Protestants in everyday life. I believe the same applies in the U.K.

That noted, putting aside old divisions would lead to a united Christian front composed of the Roman Catholic church and other churches as independent allies - a Christian answer to the "coalition of the willing."

[Mr. Lucky]

So, in the "united Christian front" would female or gay clergy be OK? Would abortion be permissible? Would recognition of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Host be optional?

Orthodox Lutheran churches refuse to be in communion with members of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church should do the same.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The “breaking bread with the Anglicans” part has be scratching my head, since the Catholic church does not recognize Anglican orders. You’re saying that the Pope did what...? Link?

[Cronos]

Anglicans are a different case -- the CoE was a compromise church to pull in Catholics and reformed under the same umbrella.

by 2000 it was made up of 3 separate groups: the gay group (ECUSA), the reformed group (African Anglicans) and the Anglo-Catholic group.

The Anglo-Catholics are erstwhile "High CHurch" -- they are practically CAtholic in beliefs and practise. I went to an Anglo-Catholic mass for weeks when I first moved to Brighton until the penny dropped and I realised that though the mass was exactly the same, they didn't mention the Pope at the point when they prayed for the priest, bishop....

[kearnyirish2]

“That noted, putting aside old divisions would lead to a united Christian front composed of the Roman Catholic church and other churches as independent allies - a Christian answer to the “coalition of the willing.””

This could never happen, as I see more “Christianity” in Orthodox Judaism or Islam than I see in the far-left “Christian” churches. Roman Catholics probably have more in common with the former than the latter; Catholics that see Christ in those “far-left churches” certainly aren’t in union with Rome or Christ.