“While I believe that Anglicans should return to the Church, I am also certain that they will be in very good hands if they decide to place themselves under the primacy of Archbishop Akinola.”
My point was to underscore the irony of African Bishops returning the favor.
Some Eastern Orthodox folks I know have the same wish for Catholics - that they return to the Church.
There is nothing wrong with traditional Anglicanism. It is distinct from whatever it is that passes for Episcopalianism and the CoE. Some, however, feel they must become Catholics to escape the nonsense - and I am happy for them should that work for them.
There were good reasons at the time for there no longer being a catholic (small “c”) church - and there are good reasons why there won’t be any time soon. In the meantime - I’m happy for anyone who escapes the cesspool of iniquity that is the Episcopal/CoE with their soul intact.
Fortunately, they can go to the RCC and also other places to continue to actually practice their Christian faith. The good Bishop of Akinola wants to enforce a little discipline within the Anglican Communion. I hope he succeeds.
Indeed we do and from what we see from +BXVI, it looks like that may well be happening.
As for detecting a degree of triumphalism occasioned by reports of ministers, priests or hierarchs becoming Roman Catholics, well I don't think you are imagining that. The Church in the West has been involved in a family feud/civil war for 500 years or so now. When one side or the other gets a “defection”, a little crowing seems inevitable. The shame of course is that after the Great Schism, matters came to such a point that a revolt occurred which, to all indications, continues to this day with no real signs of abating. It has been suggested by some Latins, even here on FR, that the almost embarrassing enthusiasm some Latin hierarchs show for reunion with Holy Orthodoxy is an indication of a very great need Rome has for the “orthodoxy” and “orthopraxis” of Orthodoxy in order to resist first the secular culture around it and second to return to a Christian mindset of the first millennium in order to meet head on the claims of Reformed theology at the pew level. I don't necessarily buy that, btw, though I think its fair to say that you won;t see that triumphalism in Orthodoxy, not because we are better people, its likely we are far worse, but rather because we don;t have a dog in your fight and really never have.
Oh, and H, NYer is one of the best Catholics of any stripe I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, not that you have implied otherwise.