Thursday, January 29, 2009

More Christian Unity, This Time On The Backs Of Gays And Women


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.

5 comments:

  1. Wonders never cease do they Colleen? We are not surprised of this. I think you are right in saying:

    "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."

    They have not learned anything from history or the gospels and have blocked their ears to the sounds of the Holy Spirit.

    It's time to just say good bye to the Roman Catholic Church and replace it with a real Catholic Church. That's my honest opinion. Maybe it could be called the the SSPJXXIII Catholic Church. This may well happen as a result of including the hateful and excluding the loving.

    I see no signs of hope on the horizon with Benedict as Pope, nor do I see any concerted effort on the part of Bishops or Cardinals to doing anything to change a thing for the good.

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  2. I am convinced that they want "us" out-"us" being anyone who is not totally compliant, who argues, and who does not recognize the new priesthood as a direct representative of the Big Boss in the Sky. Rules and rituals take primacy and we "go to Mass to pay homage to God, not to feel good" as the pastor recently said. But where do we go? I would like to be proactive and participate in a new way but feel totally isolated unless we form an "on line" Catholic Church??

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  3. acoolmom007 - I think that there is already an online Catholic Church. We are in it.

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  4. From my own personal point of view, all of this reconcilliation with reactionary groups is just adding more and more dense energy to the Church.

    It isn't just a matter of moving the Church to right, it's a matter of changing the actual energy around the Church.

    People will find themselves stopping their attendance at mass and won't be able to really articulate the reasons for it. The reason is the energy now surrounding access to the Sacraments. You almost have to be psychically and spiritually blind and this will only get worse.

    Personally, it's not how the Mass is said or the sacraments delivered which is my issue. It's the abysmal energy the Church is creating around those acts.

    This is hardly the first time in the history of the Church that it hs pursued this path. Each time it cost it dearly in terms of participation and it's spiritual energy. There will be one additional difference this time. All of these moves are being played out on a very public stage. The Church is fast losing it's moral voice as cultures move to inclusiveness and justice for all.

    That's what hurts most about all of this unity based on exclusion. Jesus was the first too practice true inclusiveness and specifically charged Paul to carry that mission forward to the gentiles.

    This is all spiritually backwards.

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  5. There is a very good set of thoughts on the following web page that fit in so perfectly here.

    They show us what God really is, they are all supported by the gospels, and they all show us very chearly that the MAFO's are being guided by a spirit, but it is not God.
    http://www.cwg.org/bulletins/bulletin_327.html

    If you have ever spoken of love to any other person, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever spoken of compassion to a person in need of compassion, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever spoken of forgiveness to a person who seeks forgiveness (or even to one who does not — perhaps especially to one who does not), you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever argued for fairness, called for justice, pleaded for peace, recommended mercy, or proposed a win-win solution to anyone, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever consoled or comforted, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever encouraged or motivated, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever uplifted or congratulated, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever renewed another's faith (especially in themselves), restored another's hope, revived another’s dream, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    If you have ever respected another's truth, resolved another's doubt, removed another’s fear, recalled another’s goodness, recited another’s attributes, reduced another’s apprehension, relieved another’s mind, re-lived another’s pain, or remained another’s friend, you have spoken in the First Person Voice of God.

    It is not difficult to speak in the First Person Voice of God. It is more difficult not to. You have to step way out of Who You Really Are.

    When you let God place words in your mouth, you always speak the truth, you always speak with sensitivity and awareness, you always speak of ways to resolve, not who to blame.

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