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.
Fr. Longenecker isn't Roman or even Italian.
The only reason why English speakers use the term "Roman" as in "Roman Catholic Church" is an historical accident.
In Poland, Mexico, France, Brazil, Germany, Cameroon, the Philippines, etc. the Church is known only as "The Catholic Church" - they don't describe it as "Roman."
Fr LongRubbernecker PING
The Vatican does not describe the church as Roman. The official name of the Church is the Catholic Church. Always has been. Rome only signifies where the Vatican is located.
She was founded in the Protestant Revolution on an essentially liberal principle
I thought the CoE was created so its king can kill his wives who don’t produce sons!
Its not too shocking the a church founded by such a deviant is influenced by secular culture.
The Catholic Church’s is the Church that Christ founded. It is allowed to pass judgement on other Churches.
My uncle once told me:
He who lives in glass houses, should not sleep in the raw.
One rule for me, another for thee?
Precisely.
I am a Catholic.
And my Church is certainly no position whatsoever to passing down judgment on other churches especially after all we’ve been through these past few decades with homosexual/pedophile priest scandal among others.
And Christ gives permission to the world, to pass judgment on the Church:
"The church is to be a loving church in a dying culture. How, then, is the dying culture going to consider us? Jesus says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." In the midst of the world, in the midst of our present culture, Jesus is giving a right to the world. Upon His authority He gives the world the right to judge whether you and I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians."
-- Francis A. Schaeffer, The Mark of The Christian, quoting John 13:34-35The Mark of the Christian, part 1
The Mark of the Christian, part 2
The Mark of the Christian, part 3
The only Churches are the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church.
The rest have no apostolic sucession and are officially
ecclesial communities.
And your point is...?
That may be.
But given that there are no shortage of sinners in my Church, I try to refrain from harshly judging other churches.
I do attend Mass regularly (usually twice a week) and I regularly watch EWTN. But there are number of Protestant ministers I like as well including Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, John Hagee, Joyce Meyer, and especially Hal Lindsay.
I like Graham and Hal Lindsay, never miss his program. It’s too bad that non-Catholics don’t take your advice about criticizing other faiths. All I do on FR is take up for my Catholic faith from the constant attack by non-Catholics.
LOL irony ain't just the science of making your shirts flat!
Well....let’s face it.....the Catholic Church has provided plenty of ammo for its detractors in recent years with all of the depraved priests, the bishops who were covering up for them, and now the current Pope is quite a socialist IMHO.
If I’m not mistaken, England was always Roman Catholic until Henry VIII had his little problem with the Vatican. It was then that he claimed to be the head of the church in England, declared Roman Catholicism as the “old” religion and the Church of England was the “new” religion. Not only priests and nuns, but anyone secretly practicing the “old” religion was executed.
Percentage wise more sex abuse with minors in protestant faiths. Look it up. But they have no money, so that’s why you never hear about it.
We can’t whitewash this. THOUSANDS of priests in the US were involved in this and Lord knows how many victims.
This is a terrible stain on our Church. In my archdiocese alone (L.A.) the Church was forced sign over a $660 billion settlement which will impact us for decades.
These priests are supposed to be celibate and holy. The Church is supposed to be at a higher level and held to higher standards than other institutions.
This pedophile/homosexual priest scandal is beyond revulsion. Purely evil.
As an aside: I learned a few years ago that the priest who married my wife and I was defrocked by the Church because he was romantically involved with an adult woman. Imagine if he was caught molesting altar boys...the Church would have simply transferred him to another parish like they did with so many others.
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.