Vatican Overture In F-Minor

From the transcript to the NPR interview by Guy Raz, titled "Vatican's Overture To Anglicans Rankles, Delights", with Jim Naughton, Fr. Thomas Reese, and (Wait for this!) Archbishop Robert Duncan. Ta-dah!

Mr. [Jim] NAUGHTON:

I think this is an instance where some of the more conservative leaders within the Roman Curia have decided that there's an opportunity to try to weaken the Anglican Communion by sending a message that Rome disapproves of its policies. And so I think this is, in many ways, not the pastoral move it's being portrayed as but is largely about sending a political message. And I think that's what Anglicans have to say in response is that if indeed you want to define yourself as the church that will reach out to people who are dissatisfied over liberalization, go for it, because we do disagree with you. We just, after much prayer and study, we just think you're wrong.

RAZ: Jim Naughton is the canon for communications with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.


Reverend THOMAS REESE (Jesuit Priest; Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University):

I think what's basically happening is that there is a large number of Anglicans who have approached the Catholic Church and want to rejoin with the Catholic Church. You know, it's not that the Catholic Church is going out recruiting, trying to steal sheep from the Anglican Communion. These people are basically ones who are unhappy, have left or are planning to leave the Anglican Communion. They're knocking on our door. And the question is, do we open the door and let them in, or do we say no, thanks, you're on your own?
....

RAZ: Father Thomas Reese is a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

The best for last, of course - Archbishop Robert Duncan of ACNA

RAZ: Mm-hmm. We spoke with a representative from the Episcopal Church here in Washington, D.C.

Archbishop DUNCAN: Mm-hmm.

RAZ: He called the decision by the Vatican an affront.

Archbishop DUNCAN: Ah, an affront. Well, you see that the majority of Anglicans all over the world believe what the American Episcopal Church has done is an affront. It's an affront to what Christians have always believed. It's an affront to the authority of Holy Scripture. It's an affront to Christian marriage. It's an affront to the person and saving work of Jesus Christ.

So it doesn't surprise me that a representative of the Episcopal Church would call what the Vatican has done an affront. They would, in fact, call what we have done, as classic Anglicans, mainstream Anglicans, they call what we've done an affront.

RAZ: Do you have any plans to take advantage of the Vatican's offer?

Archbishop DUNCAN: No. I have made plain in my conversations with the Vatican that I believe that at this point in time, I'm called to lead the Anglican Church in North America and to rally faithful, mainstream Anglicans together and together with other mainstream Christians and that that's my call and my work right now. But I certainly bless those who are ready for this.

RAZ: Archbishop Robert Duncan heads the Anglican Church in North America.

Your Grace, thank you so much.

Mm-hmm. Affront, affront, affront. Who's committing affront? Whom do you believe?

His Grace will not take advantage of the kind offer from the Vatican. You see, if he crosses over to Rome, he will not be "His Grace".

Read the entire transcript or listen to the interview.

Thanks to Fran for sending me the link to the interview.

UPDATE: From a comment by BabyBlue to her own post titled "The Living Church: Rowan Williams says only provinces may sign the Anglican Covenant":

BabyBlue said...

I talk on the phone with Bob Duncan's office and it's "His Grace" this and "His Grace" that and I want to scream and run out of the room.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

bb

BabyBlue, I tip my hat to you. You have that exactly right.