Joint Statement by The Archbishop of Westminster and The Archbishop of Canterbury
Today's announcement of the Apostolic Constitution is a response by Pope Benedict XVI to a number of requests over the past few years to the Holy See from groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and are willing to declare that they share a common Catholic faith and accept the Petrine ministry as willed by Christ for his Church.
Pope Benedict XVI has approved, within the Apostolic Constitution, a canonical structure that provides for Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of distinctive Anglican spiritual patrimony.
The announcement of this Apostolic Constitution brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution.
The Apostolic Constitution is further recognition of the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition. Without the dialogues of the past forty years, this recognition would not have been possible, nor would hopes for full visible unity have been nurtured. In this sense, this Apostolic Constitution is one consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
The on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing cooperation. The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) agreements make clear the path we will follow together.
With God's grace and prayer we are determined that our on-going mutual commitment and consultation on these and other matters should continue to be strengthened. Locally, in the spirit of IARCCUM, we look forward to building on the pattern of shared meetings between the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England's House of Bishops with a focus on our common mission. Joint days of reflection and prayer were begun in Leeds in 2006 and continued in Lambeth in 2008, and further meetings are in preparation. This close cooperation will continue as we grow together in unity and mission, in witness to the Gospel in our country, and in the Church at large.
+ Vincent + Rowan
I'm trying to wrap my head around the meaning of the statement. It appears to me that the Archbishop of Canterbury is cooperating with the authorities in the Roman Catholic Church to have members of his flock in the Church of England (and the Anglican Communion?) leave to join the church of Rome, while holding on to their Anglican liturgical traditions, and that he sees this as a win-win solution to the problem of the disagreement within the CofE and the AC over women and gay bishops. And we should all come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves?
Now of course, I could be wrong in my reading of this statement, so please, if you can, clarify for me just what the hell is going on here.
H/T to Madpriest, who has more on this announcement.
UPDATE: The article in the Guardian sheds light. It appears that Rowan may have been caught by surprise. If you play with fire, you should not be surprised if you get burned. Rowan should have known that the Vatican will not share authority with what they consider to be just another "apostate, heretical, and schismatic" church.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, informed journalists that he only heard about the apostolic constitution "a couple of weeks ago" and that there was no input from or consultation with Lambeth Palace. His face reddened as he spoke and, at one point, the archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, answered questions relating to Williams's leadership and authority.
Williams said: "I do not think this constitution will be seen as in any sense a commentary on Anglican problems offered by the Vatican. It is a response to this range of requests and inquiries from a very broad variety of people, either Anglican or of Anglican heritage. In that sense it has no negative impact on the relations of the communion as a whole to the Roman Catholic church as a whole. It is not an act of aggression, it is not a statement of no confidence. It is business as usual."
His face should redden. But then he goes on to speak words of appeasement. We are still friends. When will Rowan take his place in the world of reality?
UPDATE 2: From the New York Times:
And many Anglican and Catholic leaders expressed surprise, even shock, at something they said would undermine efforts at ecumenical dialogue and capitalize on deep divisions within the Anglican Church over issues like the ordination of gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions.
....
In the United States, many traditionalists have already broken away from the Episcopal Church and formed their own conservative Anglican structures, and experts speculated that proportionally fewer would be eager to join the Catholic fold.
....
The Very Rev. Paul Richardson, the archbishop’s representative to the Vatican, said he was taken aback by the Vatican’s decision, which he said was not in line with an ongoing ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic and Anglican churches.
“It doesn’t seem to me to help the ecumenical dialogue, but perhaps it will galvanize the ecumenical dialogue,” Bishop Richardson said. “I don’t see it as an affront to the Anglican Church but I’m puzzled by what it means and by the timing of it.” He added, “I think some Anglicans will feel affronted.”
Paul Richardson seems to be a tad more reality based than his boss, but it seems ludicrous to me to suggest that this stance by the Vatican will "galvanize the ecumenical dialogue".
UPDATE 3: The post is overlong already, so I'll provide links only to the National Catholic Reporter and Andrew Brown at the Guardian.
H/T to Jim Naughton at The Lead.
But Mimi, this is a win-win situation, the other shoe has not fallen yet, but by extension, if a doorway has been opened for movement into the Roman Church, then the doorway is open for movement out as well... I've got Kaeton+ working on a press release we're going to send out, letting people know that they can find a place where they can stretch and grow and still recognize the liturgy (and after all, TEC does liturgy as well as, if not better than, the RC church! ). Think of the freedom: they will find women priests and deacons! Marriage for ordained people! Scripture, Tradition and Reason!
ReplyDeleteI'm expecting a similar announcement of where Calvinists-in-Anglican-clothes can go too.
This ¨welcoming¨ has been prepared for...honest, I never cross post to my blog but yesterday I covered this as part of abuses at Church:
ReplyDeleteThe Most Reverend John J. Myers, J.C.D., D.D. Fifth Archbishop of Newark
In 2005, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Myers as Ecclesiastical Delegate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the Pastoral Provision for admitting married former Anglican clergy to the Catholic priesthood in the United States.
Between 1966 and 2008, he served as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, part of the Roman Curia responsible for helping the Holy Father, the supreme legislator of the Church, interpret the laws of the church.
·HARK! HE HELPETH THE POPETH AND INTERPRETH LEGISLATIVE TEXTS FROM PARTICULARETH COUNTRIES and JURISDICTIONS·
there is much more if you are interested in these shifty solutions to WIDE problems within the Roman Catholic Church and the escapistas of The Episcopal Church and The Anglican Church of Canada (probably other Provinces in the Americas as well)
http://leonardoricardosanto.blogspot.com/2009/10/prejudicepreachingpretending-this-weeks.html
Clumber and Len, I'll believe the free coming and going when I see it. Anyone is free to go, and whether Rome accepts them is up to Rome.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't get is Rowan's actively helping his own out the door and into Rome. Those who go may retain their Anglican liturgical traditions, but they will be Roman Catholics. There's no unity here. In the "official dialogue" with Rome, Rowan is cooperating in the destruction of the Church of England. What am I missing?
It has been clear to me for some time that Rowan longs to do a Tony Blair.
ReplyDeleteIT, then why doesn't he just go? Go, go, go! He wants to take the Anglican Communion with him is why he doesn't go. Well, that just ain't gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Rowan's active cooperation, but remember that he was the first ABC since the Reformation to kiss the bishop of Rome (JPII)'s ring, an act for which he ought to have been deprived of office - Henry VIII would doubtless have taken more drastic action and my guess, given the nature of English justice, is that his pertinent statutes are still on the book.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you can be damned sure of, which is that Rowan has no intention that they will be carting the property along with them.
And there is the "good riddance" factor.
Pity, isn't it, that Rowan is evidently incapable of extending this same charity on the TEC/gay issue?
If those folks want out, let them go. No, they won't get the property, but Rowan is unbelievably naive if he thinks this act by Rome is not aggressive. The church of Rome has never had confidence in the Church of England. What is he thinking? Rome does not view the Church of England or TEC as equals. How can he delude himself to think otherwise? He is a disaster as Archbishop of Canterbury.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting analytical piece was posted half an hour ago at the NYT's site.
ReplyDelete"Though both Catholic and Anglican leaders sought on Tuesday to present the move as a more coherent, unified response to those seeking conversion, the Vatican appeared to have announced the move to the Anglican Communion only in recent weeks and as a fait accompli. And many Anglican and Catholic leaders expressed surprise, even shock, at something they said would undermine efforts at ecumenical dialogue and capitalize on deep divisions within the Anglican Church over issues like the ordination of gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions."
It seems to me that in North America the chief effect of this declaration will be to undermine ACNA. Anglo-Catholics in that organization (as elsewhere) will be tempted to pull out and go to Rome.
ReplyDeleteSo now Rowan knows what it's like to have an outside group interfering in and poaching on his territory. The Guardian's report on the joint press conference indicates that Williams was far from happy.
ReplyDelete"Both men played down any suggestion of tension brought on by the decision, but the unease became apparent in the question and answer session that followed.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, informed journalists that he only heard about the apostolic constitution "a couple of weeks ago" and that there was no input from or consultation with Lambeth Palace. His face reddened as he spoke and, at one point, the archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, answered questions relating to Williams's leadership and authority."
Ormonde, I agree that this announcement is likely to undermine ACNA, however, I believe that the marriage between Anglo-Catholics and evangelicals was not going to last anyway.
ReplyDeleteLapin, I don't understand how Rowan didn't see what lay ahead in his dealings with Rome. As I've said many times, he should have tended to his own garden, instead of meddling in ours and spending so much time on "ecumenical relations" with Rome.
Check out Doug Chaplin's comment .
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Tim. I left word to that effect. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDelete"Ecumenical Dialogue" with Rome has always, officially, been a polite form of "The lights are still on, and you are welcome home any time." The "folly" is Anglicans thinking it was ever anything else. Perhaps this will be both a wakeup call for Rowan, and a relief as the most tiresome Anglo-Catholics against WO will now have to put their stipend where their mouth is and do what they always said they would do if only they could.
ReplyDeleteYeah, get that stipend where their mouth is. LOL.
ReplyDeleteStipend where their mouth is? Let's not forget that CoE priests were paid £30,000 each by our church when they left for Rome after women were permitted to be ordained.
ReplyDeleteErika, I hadn't heard about that. Was it a "severance package"? I don't know how and if the clergy pension program works in England. In the US it is a secular affair, and leaving the church has no impact on pension. Given the English entanglement, it may be different. Do you know off hand?
ReplyDeleteFor US clergy, if they leave TEC for Rome they say good bye to their stipend, though they will be able to draw on their pension (though not add to it). And the average stipend for RC clergy over here is about $6,000 per year -- housing provided. Hope the wife keeps working!