British Anglicans Preparing Mass Defection to Roman Catholic Church

Fox ^ | January 30, 2011

[NYer]

LONDON -- Hundreds of disillusioned Anglicans were preparing Sunday to defect from the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church in time for Lent, Sky News reported.

It follows a campaign by a former Anglican bishop in protest at its stance on the ordination of women and gay clergy.

Father Keith Newton has encouraged Anglicans to join the Ordinariate -- a special branch of Catholicism established by the Pope -- to welcome protestant defectors.

Despite the efforts of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Anglo Catholics have begun leaving following the conversion of three Anglican bishops in mid-January.

The Church of England said that 1,000 of its 13,000 parishes were opposed to the ordination of women.

At St. Barnabas church in Tunbridge Wells, southeastern England, the parish priest said that a majority of his parishioners want to defect -- and he is considering going too.

Father Ed Tomlinson believes that traditionalists who oppose the ordination of women have been badly let down by Church leaders.

The priest was told if he and his followers leave they will no longer be allowed to hold services, even on a shared basis, at St. Barnabas.

"The whole thing stinks to high heaven," he said.

[NYer]

Welcome home ping!

[narses]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2665836/posts

[AGreatPer]

Tired of being heathens?

[driftdiver]

Or they could become idol worshipers

[HushTX]

Tired of being heathens?

Stay classy.

[Bill W was a conservative]

Episcopagans are low hanging fruit, no double entendre intended. I was Episcopagan until I converted in 2005. I must confess a teeny weeny bit of schadenfreude to go along with my love for members of my former church.

[Salvation]

Welcome home to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!

[AGreatPer]

"Stay classy."

Should have said satire.

[Venturer]

Some real people untainted by the push to turn sex into perversion between 2 men or 2 women are finally making a stand.

Welcome back.

[Desdemona]

Come on in! The water’s fine (so’s the wine).

[HushTX]

I was Baptized and Confirmed in the Anglican Communion. While I don’t much care for much of what I see going on in/with the Anglican Communion, I don’t particular care for the snobbish attitude being directed that way either. Some people like to pretend the Roman Catholic Church is without its flaws and debacles, or that the Protestants are somehow free from such trials. Such is not the case.

As someone who frequently throws my hat in the ring to stand by Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, et al, I feel it well within my right to also stand by the Anglican Communion. This is NOT an easy time for any of us, and such arrogance as I have seen- not necessarily from the two of you- is counterproductive. And juvenile.

As for the Episcopalians... they have chosen to stand with a “leader” who OPENLY denies the divinity of Christ. They have chosen where they stand. The Anglicans, however, are struggling to survive a major time of trouble, and it will get worse before it gets better. Seems to me this is not unique.

[Broker]

The Anglican community collectively signed the Islamic centric document “Common Word”. A pluralistic acknowledgement. They are magic marker, cafeterian church-goers who practice a strange religion often confused with Christianity. Pity.

[AGreatPer]

Why are you making this so complicated? Your either with us or whatever.

[HushTX]

I’m sorry I made that too complicated. Let me try again.

I was Baptized, Confirmed and Married in an Anglican church. Some of the best guidance in my struggle to rebuild a relationship with God has come from Anglican clergy. Not every inch of the Anglican Communion has been infected with rot. So please pardon me if I am not willing to just give up, and pardon me again if I do not accept insults with giggling idiocy.

Think what you want. I don’t know what you mean by “with us,” so I can’t speak to that. I’m with God, as best as I can be, and that’s all I can really try for.

[Revolting cat!]

If they’re British, isn’t it obvious they are ‘Anglicans’ and not ‘Romanians’?! Just axin’...

[MarkBsnr]

Let’s see. These folks want to be in a Christian community. The Anglican Communion is obviously speeding away from Christianity. Where to go? To the Presbyterians? To the Methodists? Anywhere?

It is to the home of Christianity that they go. May God bless them all.

[Cronos]

Guys — do note this is referring to the Church of England, not the Episcopalians. The Christians in the ECUSA seem to have completely left while there are still some in the CoE hanging on, but I think the Anglo-Catholics are all going to leave now. It’s also time for the reformed/charismatic branch of Anglicans (African Anglicans) to leave as well and leave the CoE-ECUSA combine to slowly die out.

[HushTX]

I’m aware of the difference. I’m blessed to be within a very active Diocese in the split from ECUSA. Were it not for the work of Bishop Iker and the clergy of the Diocese of Ft Worth, I would probably be as convinced as many (apparently all?) FReepers are that the Anglican Communion is nothing but a hive of dirty heathens. Our Diocese is affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America, and is currently within the province of the Southern Cone (South America) due to the split with ECUSA.

I am not inclined to leave what has been a vital part of my reconnection with God and my newly returned faith. Leave to where? The RCC? For every issue I have with the Anglican Communion, I have just as many with the Roman Catholic Church. Understand that I will stand by my RCC brothers and sisters without hesitation, but that does not mean I should abandon the AC and “run to Rome,” or whatever the phrase is.

I’ve considered the Roman Catholic Church on a few occasions. I have come across no convincing argument that I should leave where I am to join the RCC. At present, I am researching the issue of taking communion at Roman Catholic Mass, since some people believe I should be able to and others feel I should not (FWIW, I do not partake). But frankly, I have no interest in going through yet another series of classes, another set of sacraments, and more upheavel, just because there is turmoil where I am. Not when the parish we belong to is still in line with all the teachings I believe and they share my feelings on the rot spreading through ECUSA and the CoE.

[Cronos]

I agree -- unfortunately for most now, when one thinks of the word "Anglican" one sees Gene Robinson and the Rev Kathy langford ("abortion is a blessing").

The Anglican community in the 2000s has been divided into 3: the Anglo-Catholics, the reformed/pentecostal types in Africa/Asia/S.America and the pinko-led group in N.America and the UK

The Anglo-Catholics were always highly traditional and religious and will now, I believe, leave to join the Catholic Church.

The African/Asian/S. American may labor on, but they have nothing in common with the pinkos, so In MY humble OPINION, they should form their own communion.

The pinko-led is bleeding Christians to other denominations, but I believe there may be still some Christians there who cannot countenance leaving the church of their childhood.

For the anglicans who have left, I can only sympathise and also learn from them on how we can prevent this happening in other churchs. We've seen the pinko brigade attack the ECUSA, PCUSA, Methodists, now the ELCA. However, they are now out in the open and so is their agenda, so we know our enemy, which is always good.