I suppose as one who has been praying for and hoping for the reunion of Anglicanism and Rome that I ought to make a comment on the latest developments and the offer made by the Holy Father to Anglo-Catholics.
However, I refuse to make any knee-jerk reactions. If the Holy Father has taken time to consider the position and make the offer, then we should reply in kind and think carefully about what it entails so that we can be resolute and considered in whatever decision we make.
Acceptance of the offer would give us the opportunities for greater dialogue and greater influence in the Roman Catholic Church. Our presence may help Rome to regain what she herself lost liturgically as a result of Vatican II. However, will acceptance of the offer stop us from being Anglicans? I'm worried about the wording of "former Anglicans". Cardinal Newman was always an Anglican and being a Roman Catholic did not stop him from thinking like an Anglican.
What would rejection of the offer mean? Would this be demonstrating that we prize our Anglican Identity higher than our desire for Unity, or would it be a necessary response to prevent absorption?
Personally, the first thing I would want to do is to greet this offer with honest gratitude and embrace the spirit of its generation. I would then like to look for ways and further dialogue to refine it in order to accept it wholeheartedly. This is not something that we should rush into with theological guns blazing, but rather sit back and thank God for the possibilities this opens up for us.
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My comment is in my web site column for today
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/civitas.dei/reflections10.09.htm
Yes, it is the Anglican soul for which I have suffered more than you can imagine!
Fr. Anthony
I'm thankful for this offer, but unconvinced that it is sufficient to be acceptable as it stands. Neither do I see rejection as a fair option. What I do see is a call and an opportunity to move beyond the theoretical and start thinking about what it will actually take to restore the unity that was lost 450 year ago. We can find our way. Our Lord wants us to, but it still is not easy. abandoning desire for unity with Rome is not an acceptable option, neither is mere submission and absorption. I'm afraid I don't share your optimism that we would have more influence on Rome were we inside. I suspect the reverse, but, so long as both 'sides' desire ultimate unity, we will have to listen to each other. Let the process go on -- but let it not be hurried. Yes, unity is an imperative, but so are truth and honesty. To force a division in the name of unity is to accomplish nothing. To recognize the division that exists and work to heal it is to have won before the end has been reached.
ed
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