The breaking religion-news story of the day is in Vatican City, with aftershocks in England. As has been rumored, literally, for years, Pope Benedict XVI has reached out to Anglican traditionalists, offering them an Anglican-friendly home in the Church of Rome. His activism in this area dates back to his days as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Major newspapers on this side of the pond will be filing stories on this all day, I imagine. Meanwhile, those who want to read the Vatican document for themselves, as well as reactions from traditionalists in the Church of England, just click here. If you want to read the reactions of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (and lots of updates, I am sure, from English sources) then click here for Ruth Gledhill’s blog at the Times.
All of this, of course, represents a major new marker on that Anglican wars timeline that I keep bringing up here at GetReligion. Yet, please note, that this discussion of Anglo-Catholics fleeing to Rome — once again — is not essentially rooted in the ordination of one noncelibate gay bishop in the micro-tiny Diocese of New Hampshire here in the American colonies.
After all, Father William Oddie was writing his trailblazing book “The Roman Option” in the mid-1990s. It is also interesting to note that a major theme in that book is behind-the-scenes opposition on the Catholic left to the creation of an Anglican home within Catholicism in England. You see, liberal Catholics — those seeking the ordination of women, in particular — did not want the wrong kind of Anglicans swimming the Tiber. That’s a story worth watching, now that Benedict XVI has opened a gate for the Anglo-Catholic refugees.
However, I wanted to rush a post up in response to some troubling word choices in the first major Associated Press report on this announcement, since that is the story most people will be reading today, before the major newspapers weigh in. First, here is the top of the story:
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Catholic Church, responding to the disillusionment of some Anglicans over the ordination of women and the election of openly gay bishops.
The new provision will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining their Anglican identity and many of their liturgical traditions, Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican’s chief doctrinal official, told a news conference. The new church structure, called Personal Ordinariates, will be units of faithful within the local Catholic Church headed by former Anglican prelates who will provide spiritual care for Anglicans who wish to become Catholic.
OK, no problems there. There is, however, some fog in another crucial section of the story.
Levada said the new canonical structure is a response to the many requests that have come to the Vatican over the years from Anglicans who have become increasingly disillusioned with the ordination of women, the election of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions in the 77-million strong Anglican Communion. He declined to give figures on the number of requests that have come to the Vatican, or on the anticipated number of Anglicans who might take advantage of the new structure.
Well now. It is true that things would have been worse if the story had said “by the 77-million strong Anglican Communion,” rather than “in” the Communion. But this wording makes it sound like these doctrinal innovations are taking place across the entire global Communion. That is true of the ordination of women, although there are major Anglican churches that have not taken that step as of yet.
However, did I miss something? Note that it refers to the ordination of openly gay bishops — plural. Has that taken place, or are we still talking about New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, singular? I realize that other noncelibate (a key word to include in the coverage), openly gay clergy have been nominated in episcopal elections. But no one else has been elected, correct?
Of course, the door is open here in the U.S. Episcopal Church, but that kind of underlines my main point. This early AP report makes it sound like these changes are taking place at the global level in a global Anglican Communion. They are not — yet. As I have been saying, the key is what takes place next in the Church of England, which is terribly divided and has leadership that, in fine Anglican fashion, continues to seek some kind of compromise that will save the day.
That’s why clarity is so important, when covering these local, regional, national and global Anglican stories.
Which brings me to another chunk of vague language in this initial story, which I hope is updated and improved.
The Vatican announcement immediately raised questions about how it would be received within the Anglican Communion and the prospects for continued ecumenical talks between the Vatican and Archbishop of Canterbury. Noticeably, no one from the Vatican’s office on relations with Anglicans and other Christians attended the news conference; Levada said he had invited representatives to attend but they said they were all away from Rome.
However, the Vatican’s archbishop of Westminster and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the global Anglican church, issued a joint statement, saying the decision “brings an end to a period of uncertainty” for Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church. The statement said the decision in fact could not have happened had there not been such fruitful dialogue between the two.
The mainstream press has always struggled to understand that the Archbishop of Canterbury is not the Anglican pope, but the first among equals in the hierarchy. That “spiritual head” language is better than nothing, but the phrase “symbolic leader” would be better.
However, the bad language comes right after that. There is a Catholic CHURCH that is based in Rome. There is an Anglican COMMUNION that has its symbolic home in Canterbury. This communion is made up of Anglican churches — plural. It is inaccurate to say that there is one global Anglican church — singular — and that Williams is the leader of it. He is the leader of the Church of England, a national church.
In other words, the Anglican Communion is not structured like the Church of Rome. It really helps to know that. And the doctrinal innovations at the heart of this story are not (again, other than the wide, but not total, acceptance of the ordination of women) taking place in or across the whole Anglican Communion. They are taking place, at the moment, in one small, but very wealthy and powerful, church in the Anglican Communion — the U.S. Episcopal Church.
It’s hard to cover this local, regional, national and global story without knowing how the Anglican Communion actually works. Here’s hoping that the AP reports improve as the day goes on.
Oh, and now there is this press release:
WASHINGTON — Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued the following statement, October 20, following a Vatican announcement of a new provision concerning Anglican groups coming into the Catholic Church. His statement follows:
“Today the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has received word of the new Provision in the form of an apostolic constitution issued by the Holy See for the reception into full communion with the Catholic Church of groups from the Anglican tradition. The USCCB stands ready to collaborate in the implementation of that Provision in our country.”
Key words: “In our country.” As in the United States of America.
UPDATE: Yes, a New York Times story is now out and the lede captures that this move will almost certainly have a strong impact in Catholic as well as Anglican pews. And this language on the history of the conflict is much better than that AP:
Cardinal Levada said the Vatican created the structure in response to many requests from Anglicans over the years since the Church of England first ordained women in the 1970s and more recently when it faced what he called “a very difficult question” — the ordination of openly gay clergy and the blessing of homosexual unions.
The American branch of the Anglican Communion, known as the Episcopal Church, has come close to schism over these issues. Disaffected conservatives in the United States announced in 2008 that they were organizing their own rival province of the church in North America.
Photo: The consecration of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson.
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Comments (39) |
October 20, 2009, at 10:39 am
I noticed there was a lot more venom directed towards the announcement from Ruth Gledhill at the Times, and from the Guardian newspaper than from the Telegraph. Ruth called it “poaching” and the Guardian editorial I read basically said that they hoped that their defectors would make the Catholic Church less full of gay celibate weirdos. Damian from the Telegraph basically said “Oh, well this should make it easy to appoint women bishops now, and everyone should be happier.”
I wonder what effect this ruling will have on the Traditional Anglican Church. We have one in our city, but there hasn’t really been much rapprochement yet. Will they now start participating in the wider diocesan culture, such as prayer and study groups, or catholic charities?
October 20, 2009, at 11:08 am
Ted just mentioned it, but here’s a link to the Telegraph article, which is really good (if slightly over-sympathetic). It explains details quickly and well, and should be commended for his comparison with the Eastern-rite Catholic churches (some of whom - eg, Melchites in Lebanon - allow married men to become priests). I think that this is possibly a more useful comparison than with the Roman-Anglicans arrangements that presently exist, since these Eastern churches have been in communion with Rome for centuries.
As an Englishmen, my initial response is excitement - I’m not an Anglican, but think that Anglicans will benefit from this kind of reformation/upheaval hugely in the long run.
My more analytical mind finds it particularly interesting since (in England, at least), the Anglo-Catholics are nearly always at the theologically liberal end of things. This ‘First Things-Rite’ church may not suit them at all.
October 20, 2009, at 11:19 am
[…] The Anglican Communion did WHAT? […]
October 20, 2009, at 11:21 am
[…] Cross post from Get Religion […]
October 20, 2009, at 11:42 am
For what it’s worth, tmatt, the NYT did point out that the Anglicans are the THIRD-largest Christian body in the world (after the RCC and EOC). Good to know they’re listening to your complaints.
October 20, 2009, at 11:43 am
@TedTyler
More rapprochement will probably happen, but as with many things Catholic, it will take a while. Note that in the original document, Anglican seminarians will attend R.C. seminaries. They may, however, dwell in Anglican houses of formation. This will help them maintain their own identity and legitimate diversity of liturgical practice but will put them in contact with future generations of R.C. priests (who may be more sympathetic than the old guard anyway).
October 20, 2009, at 11:58 am
IVAN:
Thanks for the heads up. I added a reference to that report.
October 20, 2009, at 12:08 pm
The British press is doing a far better job of covering this. It also shows the benefits of having competition in religion coverage, since between the Telegraph, Times and Guardian, it’s possible to get almost a complete picture of what’s going on.
October 20, 2009, at 12:13 pm
Here’s the entire announcement from Rome.
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/24513.php?index=24513&lang=it
The significance of Cardinal George speaking for the USCCB is that these former Anglicans will be structured in units put together in coordination with the various national bishops’ councils. Card. George is signaling US willingness to be such a facilitator.
These units, once fully formed and operational, will not be under the jurisdiction of existing diocesan bishops. The groupings will be called ordinariates - they will be headed by either unmarried formerly Anglican bishops or by married priests who were mostly formerly Anglican bishops.
It seems they will fit into the Catholic landscape much like the Maronites, the Melkites, the Greek Catholics, etc.
who retain their liturgies and customs.
As the statement says, now the ball is in the court of the individual Anglicans who want to make the move. More details will certainly follow.
It appears the Pope has given up on reunification with the Anglicans and sees more potential in healing the rift with the East.
October 20, 2009, at 12:27 pm
@Julia
An important distinction to maintain between these Anglican ordinariates and Eastern Catholics is that the Anglicans are returning to their original Patriarchate after Henry VIII’s rupture with the Pope, whereas the Eastern Catholics, while in communion with Rome, have their own traditional Patriarchates etc.
I don’t think the Pope has given up on reunification with the East—this is just a much easier task than reunifying with the Patriarchs of the East and organizing a mutually acceptable vision of the papacy, among other things.
In fact, by showing that Anglicans and Eastern Catholic liturgies can thrive while in communion with Rome, and that their traditions will be respected and protected, Benedict may help bring an eventual rapprochment with the East (God willing).
This development will also foster more traditional celebrations of the Western Rites (Anglican, Roman, maybe even Sarum!), which is also close to Benedict’s heart. The state of the Western liturgy is another current barrier to unity with the East, so you get a two-fer!
October 20, 2009, at 12:36 pm
[…] Religion notes this has been in the works for far longer than recent ordinations may […]
October 20, 2009, at 1:23 pm
[…] of this development are breaking by religious and secular media alike, and GetReligion.org has a very good piece up by Scripps Howard reporter Terry […]
October 20, 2009, at 1:27 pm
fyi the newly elected Episcopal bishop of Minnesota is lesbian, so there are multiple homosexual bishops in the Episcopal Church now.
October 20, 2009, at 1:34 pm
Peregrinu, the election for the new Episcopal bishop of Minnesota hasn’t been held yet — it’s still 10 days away. The person to whom you refer is a candidate for election. She will not be bishop unless elected, confirmed by the bishops and diocesan standing committees and consecrated.
October 20, 2009, at 1:55 pm
The election is still ahead — on Halloween.
http://www.mnbishopsearch.org/
October 20, 2009, at 2:34 pm
Great British headline from TimesOnLine:
I find it interesting that a secular source is cited. I can’t imagine this being printed in the US:
A commentor brings up a fact I was not aware of; Rowan was willing to accept Prince Charles as head of the church:
The article brings out how much British events are involved in the problems Anglicans have. It is not just a gay bishop in the US.
October 20, 2009, at 2:36 pm
It’s been a long time since I considered myself a Catholic, and have never been Episcopal. I’ve spent my adult life mostly in Calvary Chapels.
That said, I’ve long wondered why the RC Church hadn’t created a two track priesthood. One track, celibate, would allow for elevation to Bishop, Cardinal, and potentially Pope. The other, non-celibate, track would allow for heterosexual marriage within the priesthood but would not permit elevation beyond pastor. Such a structure would take care of the nepotism problems 900 years ago, and mitigate against repetition of the sexual abuse scandals involving some of the RC Church priesthood today.
I had never thought of this way of getting there from here, but if such a union of communions happens it will be a good thing for the Church Universal.
October 20, 2009, at 2:38 pm
JerryN:
I agree this is a good thing for relations between Rome and the East.
This Anglican accomodation is in a category of its own. It’s similar to the personal prelature of Opus Dei, but it’s also similar to the ethnic Eastern Catholic Rites, and also similar to the the Rites within the West - such as the Ambrosian in Milan.
There is a YouTube of a Sarum Rite Mass - Candlemas - in Oxford from a few years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4iOqek9Y4Q
Trent did not supress the Sarum Rite. It would be great to use that as a base for the new ordinariates. Cranmer used the Sarum Rite as the basis for his Book of Common Prayer - they could put the Catholic stuff back in it, and use the great poetic English we discarded.
BTW Ruth Gledhill of the Times is getting more loony as the day goes on. Now her headline reads “Rome Parks Tanks on Rowan’s Lawn”. http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/
October 20, 2009, at 2:47 pm
@dalea,
As I recall, the serial adultery of Henry VIII was how the Anglican Church got started in the first place. The Lord is very patient, and He does appreciate irony.
Related: Perhaps “swimming the Tiber” will become a two way splash, with liberal Catholics becoming Episcopal and conservative Episcopal/Anglicans becoming Catholic.
October 20, 2009, at 2:55 pm
… It should be noted that this is the second time in his pontificate that Pope Benedict has bypassed bishops who have stubbornly refused to Christian generosity to their more traditional charges. First came Summorum Pontificum in response to the bishops’ collective yawning at JPII’s request that they be generous in allowing the Tridentine Rite. And now, today’s move with the Anglicans in response to the English/Welsh hierarchy’s yawning at JPII’s request that they be generous in receiving disaffected Anglican clergy after the C of E starting ordaining women. Two for two. Go Benny!
Fr. Philip, OP
Rome
October 20, 2009, at 3:26 pm
FYI
One more link: http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
Rocco Palmo took his time and has posted a very interesting analysis of what went into the decision to establish the anglican Ordinariates and all the other nuances you could want. He’s very tied into folks at the Vatican and is a good source to understand what’s going on.
October 20, 2009, at 4:20 pm
tmatt, I’m interested in your view on how this will impact relations with the Orthodox. The current set-up seems to mimic the “uniatism” which the Orthodox dislike, rather than the more organic ecumenical approach that sees individual traditions maintaining their corporate structure and identity while achieving unity. The Anglicans accepted under this agreement will be inhabiting a pseudo-Anglican space created by Rome rather than embracing unity as an entire tradition, and as I understand it that’s exactly what the Orthodox don’t want. Will this move make the Orthodox more cautious in ecumenical relations with Rome?
October 20, 2009, at 4:45 pm
That said, I’ve long wondered why the RC Church hadn’t created a two track priesthood. One track, celibate, would allow for elevation to Bishop, Cardinal, and potentially Pope. The other, non-celibate, track would allow for heterosexual marriage within the priesthood but would not permit elevation beyond pastor.
Ed, I’ve wondered about that, too. My feeling is that at this point it’s a matter of logistics. The Latin Church has been structured around bachelor priests for so many centuries that it’s hard to imagine re-vamping for priests with families. More rectories would need to be built, the means of supporting priests would have to change, and so forth. It hurts my head to try to contemplate the implications.
And at the risk of picking nits: even in churches that allow married priests, the men have to be married before ordination. Widowed priests aren’t allowed to remarry. So technically there would be no marriage within the priesthood.
October 20, 2009, at 5:31 pm
The two track has always seemed to be a reasonable accomodation to me, too. Religious orders celebate and diocesan could marry like the Orthodox.
The part about not marrying after being ordained would seem to require ordination at an older age, maybe like the Jesuits. There could be a longer transitional diaconate.
Maybe the Pope is thinking that might be coming down the line as folks get more used to these former Anglicans?
October 20, 2009, at 6:06 pm
This is history in the making.
Only could a Pope approve for an apostolic way for Protestants, to come back to union with the Catholic Church.
As for Benedict being highly ultra-arch-conservative, this generosity demonstrates the intertwining of his Pastoral and Theological inclinations.
As far as history, this highlights the reality that somethings, in particular things, “Holy,” have to be passed on, as given less they become “other than Holy.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could agree to a common understanding for the oft used terms such as: catholic, apostolic & orthodox.
For this Benedict XVI action the world is slightly more sane.
Now can someone explain the oxymoron Orthodox Judaism?
October 20, 2009, at 6:11 pm
Terry, I don’t understand the headline to your post. I would have thought it better written as “The Pope Did WHAT?” since this story is about the Catholic church’s action.
October 20, 2009, at 6:52 pm
JERRY:
Ahhhhh…..
But the ERRORS both focused on facts linked to what the Communion did or what it IS, in terms of organization.
So far, the CATHOLIC side of things has been covered pretty well, with layers of information being added.
October 20, 2009, at 7:18 pm
Many stories I have seen complain about Rome not being sensitive to ecumenical concerns in its current actions.
However, how about some coverage of the lack of Episcopal sensitivities to Catholic-Orthodox concerns when it started ordaining women??? Where were their sensitivities to Catholic-Orthodox concerns when they began installing gay and lesbian bishops with live-in “mates???”
The little reported fact of the matter is that the Episcopal Church in the U.S. seems to have specialized in trashing ecumenical relations with Rome and Constantinople (Istanbul) while doing everything possible to treat with extreme elitist arrogance fellow Anglicans in the Third World (who may very well have more spiritual insight than the pampered, ego-maniac rich of the Western World.)
October 20, 2009, at 10:13 pm
For many, ecumenism is “I’m ok, you’re ok,” and leave your homophobia and hyper-anti-feminism at the door.
Well, that was the game chosen for us by the actions of the Episcopal Church (1970s female ordination) and 2000s gay practicing bishops. Can’t we just get with the realities of the times?
In a word, ‘no,’ and the papal repudiation of modernity creep has resulted in an opened door (no one will be forced; all voluntary on the part of Anglicans.) No condemnations (except by American press), no Papal Bulls; nothing but love and respect.
1517: the year of the Lutheran reformation; 1530-something: the year of the English Schism-Reformation; 2009: the year of the Bold Reformation.
October 20, 2009, at 10:40 pm
Here’s a different perspective:
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/end-of-anglican-communion/1756
October 20, 2009, at 10:43 pm
Why is the issue of celibacy among the Catholic Latin clergy so often interpreted in such a materialistic way? Read the Fathers and early synods that gradually made celibacy a universal requirement in the Latin Church. It is all about dedication to the Kingdom of God! It has nothing to do with building more rectories! or other logistics!
October 20, 2009, at 11:21 pm
Terry - good point. I was caught up by the implications of the actions the Pope took.
October 20, 2009, at 11:21 pm
The press is confused about there NOT being an “Anglican Church” that covers the globe in the same way they think the Patriarch of Constantinople is the “Orthodox pope”. They don’t understand that every Orthodox bishop is an equal —- utterly unlike Catholic bishops.
I hope the Anglicans who go Romeward in Britain will successfully petition the government for the return of Glastonbury Abbey, and the Church of England to finance it’s restoration. Reparations are long overdue. A good start; then move on to Westminster, Lindisfarne; it’s a long list.
October 20, 2009, at 11:49 pm
I think this calvary chapel pastor who found the ancient Catholic Church in 2000 year old and continuing Orthodox Church and its Mystical Realities and Graces, has the better answer for those struggling to grow in The Grace and Knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and wanting to enter into Apostolic communion: http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/pilgrims
October 21, 2009, at 12:49 am
If “Rome Parks Tank” is over the top, doesn’t that photo of a mushroom cloud behind Westminster also (dis)qualify? Or is that from the same UK story? Sheesh.
Anyhow, liberal Catholic does not (always) equal U.S. Episcopalian. Some of us have our pride you know!
October 21, 2009, at 5:31 am
[…] for Catholics to allow conservative Anglicans into the Catholic Church without fully assimilating. Get Religion Yet, please note, that this discussion of Anglo-Catholics fleeing to Rome — once again — is […]
October 21, 2009, at 12:04 pm
They don’t understand that every Orthodox bishop is an equal —- utterly unlike Catholic bishops.
Not so utterly. Vatican II rejected the “branch manager” approach and revived the Patristic teaching on the ontological/sacramental equality of episcopal orders. Honorific primacy and hierarchy within the episcopacy, furthermore, has been traditionally and enthusiastically recognized by the Orthodox as well.
The current set-up seems to mimic the “uniatism” which the Orthodox dislike, rather than the more organic ecumenical approach that sees individual traditions maintaining their corporate structure and identity while achieving unity.
Looks like uniatism, but no it ain’t. I’d avoid any use of the term “Anglican Rite.” Eastern-rite Churches are sui iuris, bound by their own code of canon law separate from the Latin Rite Church. They enjoy their own separate hierarchy. This Anglican ordinariate, otoh, is simply the reditus of the Roman Patriarchate’s own internal schisms, unlike the Unia. It will remain completely subject to the Latin Rite Church. But I’m sure we’ll hear complaints about Vatican strongarming similar to the complaints from Eastern-rite Churches about “latinizations” and “westernizations.”
What concerns me is the likely fact that the personal ordinary of this new ordinariate will be directly and exclusively subject to the Pope, which creates inflated power trippiness issues that I see in Opus Dei. Personally, I wonder if the Anglican Ordinary ought to be subject to the Metropolitan Abp of Westminster, sort of like an Anglican ROCOR, because it is so intrinsically tied to the spiritual patrimony of an ethnic Church, and not to a particular transnational charism. Just thinking aloud here.
October 22, 2009, at 1:15 am
[…] we had been astonished (though not surprised, surely, given the many rumors that had swirled about for years) by the announcement in the Vatican and in England that Pope Benedict XVI will issue an Apostolic […]
October 26, 2009, at 11:41 am
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