Posted on 07/17/2014 10:58:01 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
With hindsight, we can see that the real battle in the Church of England has been with her founding principles. She was founded in the Protestant Revolution on an essentially liberal principle: that the circumstances and situation in the current culture determine the identity and mission of the church. She was now, and always has been the Church of ENGLAND. Therefore, the circumstances, personalities and cultural factors determine which way she will go. As society became increasingly secular, liberal and antipathetic to a Catholic worldview, the Catholic tendency in the Church of England could not survive.
From the first discussions of the possibility of women’s ordination the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic authorities reminded the leaders of the Church of England that such a decision would not be Catholic and Apostolic. Gradually the Church of England came to understand that she was not a historic Catholic Church, and by her voting process informed the Catholics and Eastern Orthodox of her decision. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox leaders should understand that the majority of Anglicans (for many different reasons) have never really considered themselves Catholic. Their attitude was summed up for me in a dissuasion in the mid 1980s with a female Anglican seminarian. When I pointed out that women’s ordination was an obstacle to unity with the Catholic Church she raised her voice and protested, “You don’t get it! I am not a Roman Catholic and I don’t want to be. I don’t care about so called unity with the Catholic Church. That is not something I want at all!”
She spoke the true wishes not only of the majority of Anglican clergy but also the majority of Anglicans in the pew. The ecumenical movement, for most of them, has never been more than the nice idea that they might have the occasional hymn sing with the other churches and perhaps run a soup kitchen together. The idea that they would become “Roman Catholics” was abhorrent to most Anglicans for most of them who thought it through at all were convinced of the Tractarian myth that they were already Catholic…just not Roman Catholic.
Therefore the vote on Monday by the General Synod was not really about women bishops. It was about the Church of England ratifying her original charter: to be the Church of England and to do what England wants. The vote was about the Church of England identifying herself very clearly and unapologetically as a Protestant Progressive Christian sect along with the Episcopalians and Lutherans. Monday’s vote ended the interesting chapter in Anglican history called “The Anglo Catholic movement.” Monday’s vote was a clear repudiation of any semblance of authentic Catholicism and an endorsement of the principles of Protestantism.
Does this mean ecumenism with Anglicans is over? Not at all. Ecumenical discussions continue. It’s just that now everyone should be much clearer about the identity of our ecumenical partners.
thousands of priests?
According to Wikipedia.org the number of priests implicated in the US alone was 4,392. Under the heading of Catholic sex abuses cases.
That includes those who knew and did nothing, those who covered it up and those who SHOULD have known, right?
“I am a Catholic.
And my Church is certainly no position whatsoever to passing down judgment on other churches.....”
What other churches? There are no “other churches”. The Catholic Church is the Church of Christ. The rest are Christian “denominations”. There are no other “churches”.
Speaking of sex abuse, I have posted many articles related to the subject here at FR and once I asked a question that either the FReeper could not answer to did not want to. That question is “what religion has the highest unreported sex abuse and cover ups in it?”
I’m asking again... Any takers?
please see post 17
I mean 25... sorry computer trouble tonight
You need to quit listening to CNN so much. Try supporting the 98% of the priests who have never committed any type of sexual abuse. The media wants everyone to think that all Catholic priests are sexual predators. Like I say statistically speaking there are more cases in the protestant faiths and Jewish faith than Catholics. And that’s fact. But the ambulance chasing lawyers know where the money is - the Catholic Church. And the vast majority of these cases are 25 to 40 years old. Most of the priests long dead.
In the eleventh century the Orthodox Church concluded that mandating the primacy and infallibility of and obedience to the Pope of Rome was a clear repudiation of any semblance to authentic Christianity and an endorsement of the principles of Roman Catholicism.
What determines "apostolic succession" two thousand years removed from the actual Apostles? It is a succession of the TEACHINGS of the Apostles and we can find them IN the Scriptures they wrote as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. "Ecclesial communities"? Are you aware that ecclesia is the Greek word for the called out assembly, AKA, the church???
Oh, pobrecito! Nearly ALL of the threads you post criticize and attack non-Catholic Christians for not being Catholic and your responses often are far from just "taking up for your faith from constant attacks by non-Catholics". One need only read your recent posts. Who do you imagine is fooled by this defense?
The Greek word ecclesia that was translated as "church" in English, meant the called-out assembly. A church, therefore, is ANY assembly of born again believers in Jesus Christ and together we all make up the Body of Christ, His spiritual house. Sorry, but Catholics don't own the copyright to "church".
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER STONE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." (I Peter 2:4-6)
Are you sure that's a correct translation? Are you sure it doesn't actually say, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye post snarky comments about one another on an Internet message board." ??
Like I said there are two churches, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The rest are nothing but breakaway sects and as such are not only false churches, but false religions.
“Oh, pobrecito! Nearly ALL of the threads you post criticize and attack non-Catholic Christians for not being Catholic”
I post articles about Catholicism, the haters come out and start saying how wrong I am and how the Catholic Church is wrong, not Biblical, etc. I take up for my faith, and in your way of thinking I am “attacking non-Catholics”. You need to get out more.
Hate to break this to you, but anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord is in the catholic church as defined by God's Word...not by man.
Better yet...which religion has a greater tendency to support the party of death...also known as the dimocrat national party
Any takers???
>In the eleventh century the Orthodox Church concluded that mandating the primacy and infallibility of and obedience to the Pope of Rome was a clear repudiation of any semblance to authentic Christianity and an endorsement of the principles of Roman Catholicism.
What determines "apostolic succession" two thousand years removed from the actual Apostles? It is a succession of the TEACHINGS of the Apostles and we can find them IN the Scriptures they wrote as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. "Ecclesial communities"? Are you aware that ecclesia is the Greek word for the called out assembly, AKA, the church???<
you're actually expecting a catholic to read the Biblical text and keep it in the proper context?? you're asking for a lot.
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.