Posted on 12/04/2003 8:54:37 AM PST by ahadams2
Traditionalists preparing for Catholic conversion
Number: 5695 Date: Dec 4, 2003
American and Australian traditionalists are preparing to submit to papal authority should Archbishop Rowan Williams and the Primates fail to restore order to the wayward American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Representatives from the North American and Australian branches of Forward in Faith (FiF) travelled to Rome in October and November to discuss a reunion of traditionalist Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church.
The Rev Dr David Moyer, president of the North American FiF, confirmed that the two sides were speaking, but declined to elaborate. “I can’t go into what people like me are willing to do,” he told us. “There are simply too many sensitive people and issues involved at this point.”
He was in Rome as an ambassador for the international FiF organisation, and the Australian representative, David Chislett, has also been involved in discussions, together with the head of the Traditional Anglican Communion.
Long-simmering tensions between the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church and the Church establishment reached boiling point following Gene Robinson’s consecration.
“The bottom line is that the Anglican Communion is being stressed to breaking point,” said Fr Moyer. “It seems the responsible thing is to look to those whose passion for, and commitment to, biblical faith and order is solid and unwavering for a way forward together.”
The Anglican participants are proposing communion with the Catholic Church, whilst retaining Anglican doctrine and liturgy.
“There are many Uniate churches with their own tradition, their own liturgical expression of faith, their own bishops and their own governing authority,” Fr Moyer has noted. FiF (NA) hopes that a grouping of orthodox Anglicans would be looked upon by Rome in the same way.
The consecration of Gene Robinson appears to have set the break-up of the Episcopal Church in the USA in motion, with these latest revelations coming a week after a new parallel structure was set up in America of conservatives opposed to him becoming bishop.
Dr Williams intervened on Fr Moyer’s behalf last year to offer support when he was sacked by his bishop, Charles Bennison of Pennsylvania. Yet the Archbishop faces a difficult task in persuading traditionalists to remain within the Anglican fold if he cannot assure them that the liberal tide will be stopped.
The Russian Orthodox Church has expressed its sympathy with the dissenting dioceses and parishes in ECUSA.
While breaking of all relations with the American national Church hierarchy, the Russian Orthodox Church stated it would “maintain contacts and co-operation with those members of the Episcopal Church in the USA who clearly declared their loyalty to the moral teaching of the Holy Gospel and the ancient undivided Church.”
The Church of England Newspaper has learned that Orthodox participants at the 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, which met last week in Yaounde, Cameroon, privately asked several Anglican participants to consider ties with Orthodoxy, should the Robinson crisis not be resolved.
I don't understand: Is it communion with, or submission to?
This is commonly refered to as: "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire."
They're talking about a Uniate church, so it would definitely be the the first and it would be the second to a certain degree. To what degree has yet to be determined, which is why Fr. Moyer can't say much about it. It is also yet to be determined if this idea will work at all. It's unfortunate that this article has come out at this time because the talks that are going on are delicate and press coverage will not help the process along.
I don't think this is true. They're talking about a Uniate relationship, we would have our own bishops and ecclesiastical structure with our dioceses. We would not become a part of the local RC diocese.
Fair enough. But it still seems odd given the, um, traditional order of authority in the Anglican Communion wherein there is no one necessarily-infallible human authority, but instead at the top level is the council of primates.
I think of Article 26 ...
And if they submit, I guess they give up Article 19: "...the Church of Rome hath erred..." (Of course, if they submit, the Articles no longer govern.)
Would this be a full fledged Anglican rite, similar to the Byzantine rite in Catholicsm, which is Catholic but not Roman Catholic while of course accepting papal supremacy?
I'm just guessing and going on limited knowledge.
I wouldn't think so if it is a different church akin to the Eastern Catholic churches affiliated with Rome. Such churches have substantial autonomy in ordering their own affairs, and retain the eastern tradition of married clergy. Even Anglican clergy that have entered the Western rite and become Catholic priests have been allowed to remain married. I would doubt that any liability for sins of the recent Latin priests would devolve upon any new Anglican Use congregations. That said, I do hope that the Vatican is relatively flexible in their negotiations with FIF.
I think you guys would defidently get that. I wonder though if doctrinal problems can be bridged such as an all male clergy (of course yours would continue to include married men without a problem), prohibition on birth control (despite the widespread diobedience by the faithful), and papal infallability (which is a rather limited concept, but still a binding one)
I believe that's what Moyer and Hepworth (Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion) are proposing. It's still in preliminary talks, though, so it's impossible to say how it would work or whether it would work at all. I do not believe they are talking about the Anglican Use option that has been in place for a number of years.
Not correct. Byzantine Greeks and Slavs are Romans. They are not Latins. Everyone in the Catholic Church is Roman.
This Catholic would be quite happy with that.
Thanks for the correction. You are a heck of a resource for Catholic knowledge.
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