Historic moves afoot for traditional Anglicans
History may be in the making. It appears Rome is on the brink of welcoming close to half a million members of the Traditional Anglican Communion into membership of the Roman Catholic Church.
Such a move would be the most historic development in Anglican-Catholic relations in the last 500 years. But it may also be a prelude to a much greater influx of Anglicans waiting on the sidelines, pushed too far by the controversy surrounding the consecration of practising homosexual bishops, women clergy and a host of other issues. (There are no other issues. Who are they trying to kid?)
(Soon to read GO WITH POPE)
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has decided to recommend the Traditional Anglican Communion be accorded a personal prelature akin to Opus Dei, if talks between the TAC and the Vatican aimed at unity succeed, it is understood.
The TAC is a growing global community of approximately 400,000 members that took the historic step in 2007 of seeking full corporate and sacramental communion with the Catholic Church – a move that, if fulfilled, will be the biggest development in Catholic-Anglican relations since the English Reformation under King Henry VIII.TAC members split from the Canterbury-based Anglican Communion headed by Archbishop Rowan Williams over issues such as its ordination of women priests and episcopal consecrations of women and practising homosexuals.
The TAC’s case appeared to take a significant step forwards in October 2008 when it is understood that the CDF decided not to recommend the creation of a distinct Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church – as is the case with the Eastern Catholic Churches - but a personal prelature, a semi-autonomous group with its own clergy and laity.
Opus Dei was the first organisation in the Catholic Church to be recognised as a personal prelature, a new juridical form in the life of the Church. A personal prelature is something like a global diocese without boundaries, headed by its own bishop and with its own membership and clergy. Because no such juridical form of life in the Church had existed before, the development and recognition of a personal prelature took Opus Dei and Church officials decades to achieve. (Little Papal viruses in the body politic, and now we get two versions, one for Catholics and one for Anglicans.)
An announcement could be made soon after Easter this year. It is understood that Pope Benedict XVI, who has taken a personal interest in the matter, has linked the issue to the year of St Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the Church. The Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls could feature prominently in such an announcement for its traditional and historical links to Anglicanism. Prior to the English Reformation it was the official Church of the Knights of the Garter....The rest of this article can be accessed here. (Official vaticanese for what Benedict wants Benedict will get.)
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Now I begin to understand the reason for the lifting of the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops. Benedict had to make an attempt to get the reactionary Catholic schismatics in the fold before he went after the reactionary Anglican schismatics.
I am ever so proud to have been born into a church which is now fully inclusive for anti semites, misogynists, and homophobes, and then dares to call this Christian unity. I suspect for the 1.4 million reactionaries the pope will welcome into the Roman Catholic Church, 10 times that many non reactionaries will exit.
Maybe that's the whole idea, Benedict has decided to play the very 'successful' Republican strategy.
This must be the first time in religious history an official church body has decided to cut itself off from the major part of it's membership. Sort of schism in reverse on the part of the Vatican. What's a non reactionary Catholic to do? I guess we'll find out.
