I think the numbers may rise here in a little bit, we probably ought to send a ferryboat. Or maybe something amphibious given that the river's so low . . .
Posted on 07/10/2005 7:17:12 AM PDT by sionnsar
ON THE eve of a critical vote on the creation of women bishops in the Church of England, a senior figure has warned he and hundreds of priests will quit if the move is approved.
Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, this weekend becomes the first leading churchman to state that he would be likely to defect to the Roman Catholic Church.
“A woman bishop wouldn’t be a bishop because a bishop is someone whose ministry is acceptable through the ages to all other bishops,” said Burnham. “A Church of England with women bishops would no longer have a united episcopate. Bishops would no longer be what they say they are. I would have to leave.”
He said he would be forced to quit if Anglicans did not make proper provision for opponents of women bishops, and indicated that he believed 800 priests would follow suit.
Until now leading opponents of women bishops have kept their counsel in the belief the church could provide a free (or third) “province” in addition to those of Canterbury and York.
It would have only male bishops, and its members could be drawn from anybody subject to the archbishops of Canterbury and York.
It has recently become clear that a majority of the House of Bishops would not support such a compromise. Traditionalists face the prospect of serving in the church alongside women bishops or leaving.
Geoffrey Kirk, national secretary of Forward in Faith, the main Anglo-Catholic group in the church, was as candid as Burnham. “One option is to become a Roman Catholic. I don’t think there is any other option for me.”
If the church does not provide a free province Kirk said he would have to make a stark choice. “It would be a choice between becoming a Roman Catholic or digging in in my parish and preparing for a period of litigation.”
John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham, who has long been linked with plans to create an Anglican-style grouping within the Roman Catholic Church, forecast that the Church of England would face an exodus if the third province compromise were rejected.
“The introduction of women bishops without proper provision (for opponents) would be intolerable,” he said. Asked if the Roman Catholic Church would be the destination of clergy and bishops if no provision were made, he said: “There certainly would be a very large haemorrhage.”
Last week a group of bishops warned that proceeding with the plans would endanger the unity of the church.
A further sign of that disunity was evident last week when it emerged that Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, had angered Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, by agreeing to become patron of the campaign for the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church.
The cardinal wrote to Carey questioning the decision of the former leader of the Anglican communion to lend his name to a marginal group calling for reform in the Catholic church. Carey has since removed his name from a list of patrons backing the group’s aims.
Additional reporting: Alex Delmar-Morgan
"Jul. 10 (CWNews.com) - The General Synod of the Church of England voted on July 8 to approve the ordination of women as bishops.
"By a vote of 288-119, the Synod found that the episcopal ordination of women would be 'consonant with the faith of the church.' Of the 40 autonomous churches around the world belonging to the Anglican communion, 14 already have women bishops..."
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=45237
:(
I LOVE that shirt!
However did you come to dig up a year-old article?
It gets a lot of puzzled looks, and an occasional burst of comprehending laughter.
My daughter tells me that it looks weird on a 51 year old lady, because it looks sort of like an Abercrombie shirt, and I'm too old to wear those . . . plus the "Catholic to the Max.com" on the left sleeve . . . she says Abercrombie and religion don't mix, and it's "very, very weird." Then (because she is a fair-minded child) she notes that some people probably think her Invader Zim and Full Metal Alchemist T-shirts are "very, very weird."
I thought the thread could stand a little background info, so I surfed until I found something I considered appropriate.
What's your method?
As C.S. Lewis says, you've no idea how good an old joke sounds when you take it out after a rest of a couple of hundred years . . .
Here's the current thread. Incidentally the old one is a lot less quarrelsome :)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1662389/posts
I was in Rome about 2 weeks ago. The Tiber is so low, you might be able to walk it rather than swim it. When I saw that, I couldn't help but wonder if the Holy Spirit was displaying a sense of humor.
Now, don't go overboard - you could destroy the whole deal! (I think I am allergic to felt banners...)
Always a skunk or two at the picnic.
Can you explain, for the ignorant?
I think the numbers may rise here in a little bit, we probably ought to send a ferryboat. Or maybe something amphibious given that the river's so low . . .
I'd like to point to a welcoming committee for non-Catholic Christians 'coming home'. It is primarily for clergy and laity, but is also wonderful for reverts:
www.chnetwork.org
That is the nickel version of it, and it runs very deep. But I am known for rambling on so I tried to keep it short.
There's a mass migration going on. All those who long for unchanging truth and the Gospel according to Jesus are migrating across the Tiber while those who wish to reshape their respective churches according to current social fads are likewise congregating in the "soon to be dead" remnants of these churches.
No need for long-winded, meaningless, ecumenical platitudes following interchurch meetings. People are simply voting with their feet.
Not all. I learned yesterday that an Episcopalian friend is about to become Orthodox.
I could see where that would be very attractive to those not grounded (in catechesis, or even sola Scripture). If you are drawn to this, I wonder, if you would even be drawn to the True Theology of the Cross...
"All those who long for unchanging truth and the Gospel according to Jesus are migrating across the Tiber
Not all. I learned yesterday that an Episcopalian friend is about to become Orthodox."
Hehehe!
It is very attractive, because it can very easily become the Church of ME! Thing is, it can lead to a very shallow faith.
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.