This morning a ray of light shattered the darkness that has long troubled the Anglo-Catholic soul. For years those who have genuine theological reservations concerning the increasingly liberal direction in which the Church of England is travelling have been wondering at which point they will have to leave in order to keep their orthodox faith and integrity alive? Everytime we have appealled to the wider church for provision, and an honoured place within the fold, it has been turned down. Downcast and weary, we have been facing a future on the margins.
But today the Holy Father moved to do what Synod has not! Today Pope Benedict reached out in love to those Christians who long to go home but who also feel called to respect and honour their place as loyal Anglicans. Against all the odds the Roman Catholic church is creating a way to allow Anglicans to convert in groups but whilst also retaining their liturgy and patrimony. Do check out the Forward in Faith website for full details and a wonderful statement from +John.
It is early days, the detail is to be worked out, for now we must simply pray. But praise God the future looks positive for the first time in as long as I can remember. Without doubt the last 24 hrs are the strangest of my life. Dodging a media circus who all want a piece of my action and recieving the most monumental news I could imagine! Someone pinch me….I think I might be dreaming!
Sorry about the possible lack of picture. The site is in meltdown due to demand!
Sorry to read your reaction.
It remains to be seen how many actual congregations will want to do this. I think – and hope – very few.
Best,
John.
Sorry to read your reaction.
It remains to be seen how many actual congregations will want to do this. I think – and hope – very few.
Best,
John.
Hi Father, congratulations on your defence of Christian funeral rites. As a Catholic, I am very glad that you welcome the Pope’s decision regarding Anglicans. We need more priests like you.
Father or as I knew you Eddy. My Parents read the mentioned article and asked me if I thought it was you. One look at your photo and I knew it was. So you followed in your fathers footsteps after all. Would love to hear from you and catch up. Not on the blog though obviously. Not sure how this Blog thing works but I think you should be able to get my email address.
Richard McCabe – once in Gorleston
Well, I knew I posted a jolly good post, but it’s nice that ‘the machine’ spontaneously decided to post it twice. Proof that God is on the side of liberal Christianity! Father Ed, think hard on’t.
‘But today the Holy Father moved to do what Synod has not! Today Pope Benedict reached out in love to those Christians who long to go home but who also feel called to respect and honour their place as loyal Anglicans. Against all the odds the Roman Catholic church is creating a way to allow Anglicans to convert in groups but whilst also retaining their liturgy and patrimony.’
Well, I’m afraid that if you do this, Father Ed. (and it’s not yet clear whether you will), you will be abandoning your ‘loyalty’ to me and my kind, though we have striven to maintain our ‘loyalty’ to you. Will that matter to you? I hope, a little bit.
Best,
John.
Thanks so much for your comments. I feel sad moving around the modern gravestones with their sad, but hopeless messages of “I’ll never forget you” and “Missing you so much”. Before gravestones declared messages of hope and the people knew that they would be reunited in Christ. “Resting in Jesus arms” and “I Have Fought A Good Fight, I Have Finished My Course, I Have Kept The Faith” and “We Would Miss You More, Did We Not Know That We Would See You Soon” would at least fortify you with the knowledge that you will see Jesus and be reunited again. I would love you to do my funeral one day because as you say it is not just something aesthetic and emotionally moving but something real that has happened in the heavenlies.
Truly there are times when your heart goes out to people and you do want to say “Forgive them because they know not what they do”. The most annoying thing that I find about humanist weddings is that they stand there so proud of making all their “own” wonderful choices and commitments so little realising that all that is good in “their” positive beliefs and values come purely from their Christian backgrounds and heritage. Let’s face it – it is no co-incidence that Humanism developed in the Western world.
Father
Today’s announcements are indeed very heartening. Rome has seen our plight, and is trying to offer exactly what is needed. Let’s see whether the details enable this wonderful idea to be put in place.
The news must have cheered you up somewhat following the absurd press coverage about you. Don’t worry about it, the sideshow will pass and they will move onto twisting the words of someone else before long.
No-one who has read your post on funerals, and certainly no-one who is a regular reader of your blog, could ever believe for one second that the journalists have even tried to read and understand what you were saying.
And finally, what a shockingly poisonous Telegraph blog post by George Pitcher. He is, I’m afraid, a great example of someone pontificating on your post without any of the context. And he calls you a snob!! Someone who works at St Bride’s Fleet Street saying that a snobbish attitude is perfect for someone at St Barnabas Tunbridge Wells!! If it weren’t so pathetic and ill-informed, one might laugh.
Grin and bear it – it will all be forgotten very quickly.
As Steve says, we need more priests like you.
I hear you John….but be honest- what future would we face if left to the mercy of synod? You read thinking Anglicans and have seen first hand just how much those who oppose us really do hate us.
I have no idea currently what the future holds, but I feel so much better today than yesterday, and rejoice that the Holy Father delights in us what the rest of the Church of England despises. Alas, deep down I am not sure I trust the majority of synod to provide me with a long term future- further more, if totally honest, the worship and beliefs at Saint Barnabas have far more in common with Roman Catholicism than Anglicanism.
So if- and it is still an if, a path was opened for a corporate reunion then I would stand with my brother priests and not those who barely tolertate me. Crazy not to eh? But let us see first a) how the C of E reacts, b) if buildings will be released, c) what most congregations feel…it will not just be about me. The time for decision is not here, not even nearly, this is just a good development on the path to a possible solution!
Of course no buildings will be released! There’s no question of that. I’m a former Anglican clergyman now more than 10 years in Catholic priesthood. Your Reception will be no different to mine. Your seminary formation will be the same. You’ll have to be ordained. The ONLY difference will be that, after ordination, if that should happen, you’ll be using a different – but equally valid – rite to me. The only change between my journey into the Church and yours will be that you’ll be authorised to say a Eucharistic Rite that I can’t. But that’s already very common with groups like SSFP and Eastern Rite Catholics. Get real – all of you! Don’t be seduced into thinking groups of you will come over. Most of you will think of reasons to stay.
I’m so sorry you feel despised. As a new Christian just come to faith in the last few weeks, I find it shocking to think of priests despising one another.
Intellectually and emotionally I have the utmost respect for anglo-catholicism. If I wasn’t a woman I would probably go there myself. But I’m glad that women with a calling to ministry are permitted to respond. There’s Grace in that I think.
Your attitude to funerals was spot on – and I have seen some horrors at crematoria – I hate them – fake chapels and their bullying time-keepers, dralon drapes, and queues of hearses, so you have to pick your way through crowds of leftover mourners. And, yes – I have heard Ole Frank upon occasion as well. Vile – all vile.
I do hope you cross the Tiber – I might book you ahead for my own funeral. 1662 rite please – or if you are feeling up to it – the Full 1962 Tridentine with added plainchant – no eulogies, Sinatra or liturgical dancing allowed. And as an added incentive – you get an invitation to the wake, and huge numbers of Mass stipends from my large family to shorten the time in Purgatory that I will no doubt have to serve for being so unkind and insensitive about the modern Catholic funeral.
What’s not to like?
As a “Roman”, I’m glad to know this is good news for you.
I promise to keep you in my poor prayers.
(Can’t sleep – no, it’s not just the state of the Church of England.)
There is another angle to this, which I must indelicately highlight. If you guys don’t jump, you will have further weakened your position within said church. Notwithstanding pathetic and reprehensible lack of dignity among many of our leaders, from Rowan down, most C of E people do not like these eruptions of gut loyalty to Rome (more precisely, a particular version of Rome, which, as far as I can see, the large majority of RCs reject), and there’ll be less and less sympathy for you. For what it’s worth, I personally won’t be defending you and your people any longer, much as I like and respect you (and I do), because there are contracts of loyalty here, now pretty well fatally damaged.
John.
If nothing else the Holy Father has given Anglo Catholics a very clear set of choices! The advice: quiet reflection and prayer seems the right one because as far as I am concerned this has come from nowhere and is rather unexpected.
Rob’s view that most of us will find reasons to stay feels instinctively right (although I stress that is not necessarily where I am) but who knows where God will lead us?
What the pronouncement effectively says is:
“The Catholic Church needs more homophobic and misogynyst priests. So if you are an Anglican who fits the bill, give us a call and we’ll see what we can do to accommodate you.”
When will you people wake up and smell the 21st Century?
Your parishioners might also want a say. Sad that as soon as Rome says “jump”, Anglo Catholics ask “how high?”
I am a german RC .Have been on several internet sides the last 2 days to follow what is going on.My respect and sympathy is with “forwardinfaith”,
may god bless your true Anglian-Cathlic faith and spirit.
Oh dear, Oh dear.
Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Lets blast this apart and get it in the open.
If I join an institution that has a set of rules, I can reasonably expected to abide by those rules. ie If I become a priest after the decision to accept women priests has happened, by becoming a priest by implication I accept that there are women priests. If I disagree with this, but still have a calling, I would have to be Catholic and accept that i will never marry or have children (yet I understand there is a significant movement within the Catholic church to allow this as well). The church is not like the political system. If I vote purple and get orange (trying to avoid a party reference) I can’t complain at the outcome because more other people thought differently to me. I wait until the next election and decide how to vote next time. If I don’t vote i have no right to complain at all. If i join a party disagreeing with it’s views, I am a hypocrite. If my views are not heard or listened to I leave and join a party more similar to my own.
I can understand that a priest ordained sometime ago, before women priests may not accept it and move to Catholicism. If ordained C of E priest after the decision, by becoming a priest at that time, you accept the decision.
Regarding gay priests, I KNOW many Anglican and Catholic priests are gay. They keep it quiet, off the radar, but do exist. People reading this will know them, as will you Fr Ed. Brushing the issue under the carpet will not make it go away. They are there – they exist – in both camps. Ordaining an openly gay priest? What is the theological reason why not? Was not Jesus himself loving and inclusive of minorities. You do not have to agree with it. Jesus did not outwardly condemn slavery, yet it existed then. I’m expecting you and your followers to start campaigning for its reintroduction.
Nick Rayner
“If ordained C of E priest after the decision, by becoming a priest at that time, you accept the decision.”
Not necessarily: we are in a “period of reception” during which we are to discover whether the ordination of woman priests was right or wrong. In the meantime – and no one has said how long the meantime is; it may be centuries – both views are to be respected equally. At least, that is what we were told!
“Many Anglican and Catholic priests are gay” – well, der! Tell us something we don’t know. What matters is how they actually behave – and that is just as true for non-gay ones. (Perhaps you should say what you mean by “openly gay”.) As for “brushing it under the carpet”, a certain reticence would be welcome. There are plenty of things we don’t choose to talk about, but it doesn’t mean we are denying their existence.
Nick, those entering the church after women were ordained did so with integrity and good reason. Do not muddy the waters with half fact and shaky claims.
IN 1992 the church proclaimed that it held TWO integrities and that those who do not believe in female ordination were authentic Anglicans. Furthermore it promised that they would always have an honoured place within the church. It was ONLY on this understanding that women were ordained – an innovtion which itself was a period of reception. Thus I joined understanding that- an opposition to WO – would not be a problem.
Since then the liberals within the church have shifted goal posts and saught to rewrite history on so many occasions as to shatter the unity of the church and force those of integrity into very uncomfortable choices. Only today the Anglican church in Sweden announces it will offer full marriage to homosexuals…..yet you moan at ME for changing the rules?? It is laughable. The Pope has ONLY moved to offer santuary to orthodox Christians BECAUSE Rome has now utterly given up on the CHurch of England and is seeking to gather the faithful.
You say the church is not a political system- I agree. Hence I stick to biblical truth and the teaching of the ages. Unlike those espousing your opinions who created a synod, vote on matters of doctrine as if popular opinion is the decider of truth, and campagined repaetedl until you got our way. Not only that it was the liberals who both ILLEGALLY prdained women in the 1970′s and then ILLEGALLY consecrated a practising homosexual in Gene Robinson. Foolishly they thought such communion shattering actions would have no consequences.
Finally I would point out that had synod shown just a fraction of pastoral care and love and honoured the promises they made then we would not have arrived at this place. IF and WHEN orthodox Catholics go it alone with papal authority it will be entirely the fault of a shallow church that has abandoned the faith and is seeking to appease a secular agenda.
Dad- those requiring High Anglican worship in TW will be able to remain IN S> Barnabas church. That is precisely the point. Nothing will change at all…..save the bishops in whose care we exist and who protect the faith we hold dear. It is the choice of standing by the successors of the apostles or with those who have tinkered with faith too long.
Papa is calling. I for one intend to respond in thanksgiving. THe Holy Spirit is undoubtedly at work in all of this. Your notion that Synod will provide what we need is simply farcicle. Go and read what they are saying on Thinking Anglicans and the hatred for orthodoxy is clear to see.
Sorry, Ed. If you took St Barnabas into the RC Church, it would cease to be a Church of England Church, and you can’t expect members of the Church of England to accept the authority of an RC Bishop.
Why ever not? I think most Christians in this country, whatever their denomination have more respect for Knuckles than they do for Rowan, Sentamu and Chartres.
Will those who cross the Tiber grow and flourish in the fruits of the spirit? Will the Anglican Church continue to wither and die on the vine? As with most things, time will tell.
I find the open hatred of faithful Anglo-Catholics being expressed all over the place by their fellow women priest supporting Anglicans very sad.
Faithful Anglo-Catholics have been sold down the river by their own church.
If liberal Anglicans were to give them a permanent guarenteed place in the Anglican Church they might have some grounds to ask – Why are you leaving?
It looks like whole Parishes will leave. Here in the North Bringham/Sutton Coldfield area 4 Anglo Catholic parishes are considering taking up the offer. At present they are not grieving the Holy Spirit as the liberals are, by doing down those they disagree with. Instead they are seeking their way forward united as Christian communities, soaking themselves in prayer, ready to leave their buildings behind if need be.
Liberal Anglicans should note that your own leader Rowan Williams, a supporter of women bishops, could not stomach the hatred being meeted out to part of his flock, and the lack of real provision for them in the vote of Women Bishops in 2008, and so abstained? Did you take nothing to heart from that?
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