"Tumult over gay bishop" (UNNAMED EPISCOPAL DIOCESE SEEKS REUNION WITH ROME)

Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | Dec. 4, 03 | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[churchillbuff]

Seattle -- Advent is for Christians a season of hope and anticipation that precedes Christmas. But this year it is a time of splintered hopes for Seattle's Roman Catholic Archbishop Alex Brunett.

Brunett has made ecumenical dialogue the touchstone of his 45 years as a Catholic clergyman. ...[snip]As Catholic co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, Brunett was set to host -- in Seattle -- a February meeting due to produce a landmark common statement of faith.

A chill has come over the commission's work, however, in the wake of the consecration of V. Gene Robinson, a non-celibate gay, as an Episcopal bishop in New Hampshire.

The Seattle session is being put off. ...[snip]Just back from meetings in Rome, Archbishop Brunett revealed in an interview that Catholic officials have received a startling overture from Episcopalians who refuse to recognize Robinson.

"We were approached by a whole Episcopal diocese about coming into the Roman Catholic church, as perhaps Anglican Rite Catholics," Brunett said. He declined to identify the diocese.

Under Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic Church has held fast to the concept of a celibate clergy and to passages in Scripture that reject sexual intimacy between those of the same sex.

The 1998 Lambeth Conference, a worldwide gathering of Anglican and Episcopal bishops, adopted a similar stand. It proclaimed that homosexual people are "loved by God," but it condemned homophobia and rejected homosexual practices as "incompatible with Scripture."

Specifically, the Anglican bishops turned down the "legitimizing or blessing of same-sex unions" and rejected the ordination to the priesthood or episcopate of "those involved in such unions."

"Episcopal bishops came back here and totally ignored the resolution," said Brunett, a Catholic observer at Lambeth.

...

[churchillbuff]

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[churchillbuff]

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[churchillbuff]

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[Solson]

Cool. I expect more and more of this to happen. I have heard of entire dioceses in England who converted to Catholicism. It would be nice for that to happen here as well.

[EdReform]

Ping

[trad_anglican]

"We were approached by a whole Episcopal diocese about coming into the Roman Catholic church, as perhaps Anglican Rite Catholics," Brunett said. He declined to identify the diocese.

The Archbishop has apparently confused the approach by FIFNA and TAC with an Episcopal diocese. This comment set off a hectic search for the Episcopal diocese and none has been found.

[churchillbuff]

So you're familiar with this comment by the bishop? Are you sure that he might not be right -- and the diocese that approached Rome is simply keeping it under wraps? It's hard to believe somebody so familiar with Anglicanism would get "mixed up" so as to confuse a diocese with a society or association.

[brbethke]

fyi bump

[polemikos]

as perhaps Anglican Rite Catholics,"

There has been a long and often close relationship between
the Anglican and Catholic Churches. In many important areas
there remains a mutual recognition of the validity of key
doctrines, liturgies, and practices. And the Catholic
Church continues to hold and propagate the faith and moral
teachings as handed down by the Apostles.

In 1980 the Holy See, in response to requests from priests
and laity of the Episcopal Church who were seeking full
communion with the Catholic Church, created a Pastoral
Provision to provide them with special pastoral attention.

Three key areas were addresed in this document:
1 - Establishment of parishes for former Episcopalians
2 - Development of liturgies familiar to Anglicans
3 - Ordination of Episcopalian ministers as priests

The establishment of personal parishes in dioceses of the
United States was in response to the many requests of
former faithful of the Episcopal Church. Several have been
set up under this provision:

Our Lady of the Atonement Parish, San Antonio, TX
Our Lady of Walsingham Parish, Houston, TX
St. Mary the Virgin Parish, Arlington, TX
St. Thomas More Parish Fort Worth, TX
St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Austin, TX
St. Anselm of Canterbury Catholic Mission, Corpus Christi, TX
St. Athanasius Congregation, Boston, MA
Church of the Good Shepherd Parish, Columbia, SC
Atlanta Area AU Catholic Laity, Dunwoody, GA
California AU Catholic Laity, St. Francis of Assisi Church, La Quinta, CA

They also retain certain liturgical elements proper to the
Anglican tradition. This Anglican Use liturgy uses the
Book of Common Prayer (with minor updates) for the Mass.
So there is no need to lose the liturgy Anglicans are
familiar with. This Mass is valid for all Catholics as well.

Under the Provision the ordination of married Episcopal
priests was made possible as well. Since 1983, close to 100
former Episcopal ministers have been ordained for priestly
ministry in Catholic dioceses of the United States.
(Yes, there are married priests in the Latin-rite church).

Resources for those interested in the Catholic faith:

Catholic Answers
www.catholic.com
A superb site for clearing away the myths propagated by too many.
Offers free on-line library that examines all the major issues,
free on-line archive of over 1,500 hours of radio/audio material,
plus magazines, books, pamphlets, tracts, videos, and more.

Coming Home Network
www.chnetwork.org
Provides fellowship, encouragement and support for Protestant
pastors and laymen who are somewhere along the journey or
have already been received into the Catholic Church.

Biblical Evidence for Catholicism
www.biblicalcatholic.com
Dave Armstrong's monster site. Eclectic, fun, exhaustingly
detailed, personal, moving, and more.

Resources for those interested in the Anglican Use rite:

Yahoo Discussion Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnglicanUse/

And our own Sockmonkey and B-Chan are Anglican Use converts.
They have generously made themselves available for answering
questions via FreepMail.

May the Word be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.

[trad_anglican]

Are you sure that he might not be right -- and the diocese that approached Rome is simply keeping it under wraps?

I believe that he is confused. I have it on very good authority that those most directly involved with the various goingson are unaware of any ECUSA diocese having made such an overture.

I am not sure that he might not be right. I think.

[polemikos]

this year it is a time of splintered hopes for Seattle's Roman Catholic Archbishop Alex Brunett.

Not likely, if he helps a large group of Anlican-Catholics enter communion with Rome.

[Cronos]

the Anglican church is in disarray after Robinson's appointment. True believers will leave the ECUSA and join real churches.

[Blake#1]

We Anglicans in the USofA already have a communion separate from the ECUSA. The Diocese of Christ the King has been doing Christ's work since the 70's. Look it up in Google and join.

[B-Chan]

Thanks. God’s will be done!

[ahadams2]

for more information, see also discussion and comments in this regard at

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1033395/posts

and

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1033856/posts

[scripter]

Additional links on the subject:

The Northwest: Tumult over gay bishop threatens reconciliation

Traditionalists preparing for Catholic conversion

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[BnBlFlag]

As an Episcopalian of the Evangelican wing of the Church, I am thinking of going over to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Many "Anglicans" have joined the Roman Church even though our original Protestant Episcopal Church of The United States of America had traditional Protestant Doctrines and resembled the Catholics only superficially in the form of worship and in the use of Episcopal form of Church governance.

[NYer]

"We were approached by a whole Episcopal diocese about coming into the Roman Catholic church, as perhaps Anglican Rite Catholics," Brunett said. He declined to identify the diocese.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Anglican Use Catholic Rite, click on the links provided on post #10. The Anglican Use Rite, like the Byzantine or Tridentine Rite is aligned with the teachings of the Magisterium. Youo are in for a very pleasant surprise.