Bishop Christopher Epting comments on the Vatican’s Apostolic Constitution
Bishop Christopher Epting, Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations of The Episcopal Church, has issued the following:
Now that the full text of the Vatican's "Apostolic Constitution" dealing with certain former Anglicans who wish to become Roman Catholics has been released, it is clear that what is being touted by some as an 'ecumenical gesture' may be understood as 'pastoral' but is not necessarily very ecumenical. Even though Cardinal Walter Kasper has now given one newspaper interview, there has otherwise been a noticeable silence on the part of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on this matter. This appears to be a unilateral action on the part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which flies in the face of the slow, but steady progress made in the real ecumenical dialogue of over forty years.
This is "come home to Rome" with absolute clarity. Any former Anglican who has been ordained will not only have to be re-ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, not only re-ordained as a transitional deacon, but even re-confirmed as an adult member of the Body of Christ! Any one who does make this move is not an Anglican, nor an Anglo-Catholic, but a Roman Catholic convert.
As we have said on numerous occasions, we commend with our blessing any Anglican who in good conscience wishes to become a Roman Catholic just as we welcome any Roman Catholic who in good conscience wishes to enter into full communion with the Anglican Communion. But these decisions are to be made as individuals not as communities of persons. The Vatican may rest assured that we will never create "Roman Catholic Ordinariates" within the Anglican Communion for former, disaffected Roman Catholic converts. We will continue to welcome individuals, from the Roman Catholic Church or any other Christian communion, who desire to be in full communion with the See of Canterbury, and therefore with the Anglican Communion.
For our part, The Episcopal Church remains committed to genuine, ecumenical dialogue both on the national (Anglican - Roman Catholic Consultation in the USA) and international (Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission) levels. We are encouraged by Cardinal Walter Kasper's comment in Osservatore Romano on November 15 that these will, of course, continue. The recent "Apostolic Constitution" is a distraction, but likely only a minor one, from the real goal of ecumenical conversation between the largest (Roman Catholic) and third largest (Anglican) Christian communion in the world.
Bishop Christopher Epting
Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
The Episcopal Church
November 16, 2009
From Episcope.
H/T to The Lead.
Says it clearly enough, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteLapin, it does. I thought the statement was worth posting in its entirety.
ReplyDeleteNo shit, Sherlock.
ReplyDeleteI like this:
ReplyDeleteAny one who does make this move is not an Anglican, nor an Anglo-Catholic, but a Roman Catholic convert.
Exactly.
Does anyone know how many have actually taken this farce to heart?
ReplyDeleteHow many are actually leaving?
Ed Tomlinson, that fat idiot of a priest who felt the need to belittle and mock the funerals of people's loved ones in the press, hasn't even officially left, as far as I can tell.
Has the Pope thrown a party no one will come to? Has he called their bluff, as others have said?
What I've seen is a lot of shrill "This is your last chance!!!" to us from those who are supposed to be the "beneficiaries" of this offer, but they don't seem inclined to bugger off.
Mark, I haven't heard of any who have left. Actually, I don't think the process will be much different from what's happening now, except the new members of the RCC will be able to say a few Anglican prayers, and the bishops won't actually be bishops, but they will play bishop if they head up one of the new ordinariates.
ReplyDeleteIt's just curious to me that, given this new fertile field, they prefer to stay and scratch and hiss at us, rather than just going away.
ReplyDeleteI mean, this is about as ideal an offer as they'll ever get in this world.
I think we may actually have them by the short hairs and should begin treating them just that way. Why are liberals afraid to play hardball for what they believe?
Well, I won't hesitate to tell those who complain, "You have that lovely offer from Rome." In the RCC they will be small fish in a huge pond, and they know that.
ReplyDeleteYou and I are . . . a little different, Love! :D
ReplyDeleteI don't think any can have left yet because there is to be a date for this mass conversion - 22nd February if I remember rightly, just a couple of days after General Synod in England!
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me in this statement is that Bishop Christopher is committed to genuine ecumenical dialogue with Rome. I find that fascinating when it has been made so very clear that Rome will never genuinely enter into any dialogue and that the Pope will simply overrule any supposed progress made at whim.
Erika, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith pulled the rug out from under its own Cardinal Kasper of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. I think it's right for the ecumenical conversations to continue, if possible. It sounds to me as though Cardinal Kasper was operating in good faith.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that the oppressed Anglicans await with bated breath the big day of their liberation into the freedom of the RCC - and on George Washington's birthday, no less!
Oh Boy! Out of the frying pan and right into the fire!
ReplyDeleteYeah. I think so, BooCat.
ReplyDelete