A few people have asked for a link to the radio debate I took part in this morning. It is here and you need to forward to the 50 minute mark. My own feeling is that it was very hard to do the subject any justice in the few sentences possible and I got rather tongue tied at one point!! But I did my best to be courteous, gracious but to the point.
Interesting to note how the presenter seemed to think I could not ‘talk’ to a woman and clearly had no notion of sacramental theology and there is the difficulty. To the world we are just sexist bigots which plays directly into the hands of those who oppose us in synod. Ah well…I tried to speak out for those most affected – the opponents of women’s ordination who are unable to join the ordinariate for a host of reasons.
I was delighted to read an article by Cristina Odone yesterday in which she exposes the wicked manner in which the RC church has been singled out for bad publicity by the secularist left leaning Western media.
We must always speak up for the truth and for the faith. In this instance we must remind people that, despite the horrid sins of a minority of perverts and the damage caused by cowards covering things up, the majority of RC priests are hard working Godly people whose work is to be cherished and valued. And we must furthermore point out the deep, deep hypocrisy when our over sexualised society of the self begins pointing the finger at a very holy man of prayer. Enough said, read the article.
I am concerned for those who cannot accept the ministry of women or the authority of the Roman Catholic church. We must not forget -Rome is not a bolthole for the disaffected but home for those who accept its teaching with joy. Thus I predict a divide will open up; Anglo-Papalists moving into the Ordinariate rejoicing whilst the High church are left in perilous weakness before hostile and uncaring bishops. I do not envy those caught between the rock and a hard place and I urge them to re-read the Catechism, to embrace Peter and to climb onto that rock that will lead them away from the hard place!
If synod’s decision to refuse meaningful provision was ugly then its refusal to offer compensation was positively vile. What of those who leave for Rome, Orthodoxy or anywhere else? Can you imagine any other institution refusing compensation when sincere promises have been broken? I believe the term is ‘constructive dismissal’ and hope somebody will pursue this on behalf of us all. Perhaps I have grown cynical but it chills me that Synod waited until the last period of compensation ended before revealing its treacherous hand. How many were cajoled with assurances that now vanish in thin air?
Those in the liberal camp often bemoan having had to pay the last lot of compensation but why? The figure cited of £27million would be considered chickenfeed by any other national institution ushering in change. Consider the lost £160 million spent by labour in simply planning for new schools! Or the multimillions it costs to change NHS computing systems. You cannot change things for free and the cost of compensation was a part of that process and should have been embraced with acceptance and generosity.
And even then £27million figure is misleading. In truth the cost was far, far lower. Many who left were never replaced or else replaced with NSM ministers. This represents a massive saving bringing value to the compensation paid out. Furthermore this £27million includes pension costs which would have been paid in any case. And then there is the hoary old chestnut about people returning without repaying: how could they repay what they had needed in the interim to live on?
And let us not forget that £27 million pales into insignificance beside the figures lost by foolish speculation on the stock market by church ‘experts’ in recent years. Whilst most approaching retirement age are now very wealthy thanks to the housing market boom of the last half century most priests of that generation are not. They now face a pittance of a pension because the church profiteered at their expense in the good times and then later blew the windfall. Such incompetence is no reason to withhold compensation now but still the church grumbles about money lost and refuses a hardship fund for those it abandons. What does this meanness say to us and the watching world? I pray they will be more generous when it comes to church buildings.
This will be the last post that looks backwards as I am now determined to look with joy to the future. Tomorrow I will be posting on the need for those looking to the Ordinariate to become proud and full blooded members of the RC church and not to desire a half life between two incompatible churches. Our patrimony needs preserving but our identity must be changed!
The glory of being an optimist is that my gloomy moods only ever last an hour or two. It was quite bad today because I was like a sore bear until at least 2pm! But now I have bounced back and am revitalised and looking to the future with joy. It is going to be an eventful and exciting year, that much has been clear for quite some time. But God is good to those who are faithful and we really can learn to smile in the storm. Chin up my fellow Anglo-Catholics, though the Church of England is removing the ground from under our feet- there is plenty of room in a more ancient vineyard!
Tomorrow morning at 7:45 (time changed) I am being interviewed on BBC Radio Kent and will seek to be fair and optimistic. Do tune in online or locally and I will try to paste a link up later in the day. My sincere congratulations to those of a liberal persuasion- this must be a very happy time for you all. As you celebrate please remember to pray for those whose lives are drastically affected.
This morning I awake feeling extremely low and dispirited and am struggling to find the energy to work. Despite having predicted the outcome of yesterday’s vote in synod, despite being genuinely excited by a future in communion with Peter, despite everything….it hurts. Being rejected always does.
The Church of England has been home all my life and it is understandable that I have been in mourning since realising that my jounrey of faith leads me out of it. Let the emerging people of exodus take note- grieving must occur before new life can revive us. Fr. Jones makes a salient point when stating that this is a time for contemplating our demise. Anglo-Catholicism is over and we must pick over the bones to ensure that we do not take the rot with us when we go. Fr. Pinnock then reminds us the fault lay in Anglicanism and not in our effort or devotions. What we need is authority- something I now realise is found in the magesterium of the holy Catholic church. What a journey it has been since my evangelical childhood!
But I do not have that authority today, only the complete rejection from the institution I serve. It feels as though my ministry is disregarded and that my congregation and I are unwanted, unloved and under-valued. I am not going to say much more because my friend Fr. Ivan Aquilina is absolutely right when he states that we must not give in to recriminations and bitterness.
But that is easier said than done, especially when you wake up to a theological college contemporary claiming on the BBC that opponents to the ordination of women spit at women priests! If that accusation is not backed up by fact then it was the worst case of defamation and smear I have encountered. And if it was an isolated incident at the hands of somebody unstable it should not have been raised. How can our liberal opponents hold up the victim card despite sweeping to power and crushing us in their wake?
A horrid day then in which I will need the offices and daily Mass to comfort me. Doubtless I will recieve the usual emails from those complicit in the betrayal assuring me of love and support. Will they be surprised to hear these hollow assurances are wearing a little thin? +Lindsay was correct to state that the C of E is guilty of institutional bullying and of persecuting its orthodox wing. There is nothing very pleasant in that. Let us not forget that yesterday’s vote was not centred on women bishops as the media claim but on what to do with those opposed. The answer was brutal but clear- let them rot and cut off any opportunity for growth. I would be beside myself but for a living faith which revives me.
Because I really do see God’s hand in all of this. The path for AngloCatholics is now so clear as to positively shine! God opens one door as another is being slammed in our faces. He opens a path leading to fresh pasture, fixed on rock and in which we will be encouraged, nurtured and loved. I will do everything in my power to follow that path and to bring as many other people with me when I do. We Anglo-Catholics now enter Jerusalem. The clouds are gathered overhead and we must die in order to live. The events of holy week are unfolding once again….but the dying part is neither easy or pleasant.
The debate on women bishops is over and moves to Diocesan synods for approval. The net result is that the church of England is narrower for women will be made bishops without any meaningful safeguards for opponents. A ‘code of practice’ will be drawn up but any woman bishop will be free to chose whom to send dissenting parishes. She will also be free to decide which functions will be delegated and which will not. Clearly traditionalists have been shown no love, no mercy and no help. Whilst that lack of generosity pains me I thank synod for the clarity shown which will help people to decide where their future lies. I decided some time ago…about thirty seconds after Anglicanorum Coetibus was announced!
Gone is the flying bishop scheme, gone is space in which to flourish, gone is the promise that we would always have an honoured place. Gone is any hope that there can be a Catholic tradition in the Church of England of the future. Anyone telling you otherwise is seriously deluded. Why did some members of the Catholic group vote for a Code of Practice having so strenously told us that ‘it would never do?’ Was it a lie in the first place or have they had a Damascus road moment? I think we need to be told.
Fortunately I am unmoved by this betrayal in which feminist careerism eclipsed generosity because, as I have oft posted, I am thrilled at the offer of an Ordinariate. My eyes look forward and it only remains to be seen if the Church of England, having made it very clear that I and my congregation are no longer wanted, will have the decency to help us secure a future elsewhere. They might have provided compensation seeing as I was ordained under a blatantly false promise but that was also rejected today. It seems we are to leave without any assistance for our families.
All the same I am preparing to bang the dust from my boots and move on. There really is no future anymore for Catholic Christians within the Church of England. Let the dead bury their dead.
Forward in Faith have released the following statement:
The draft Measure to permit the ordination women as bishops, approved today by the General Synod and sent for discussion and approval by Diocesan Synods, contains nothing which can satisfy the legitimate needs of members of Forward in Faith.
Now, though, is not the time for precipitate action. There will be ample opportunity for priests to take counsel together at the Sacred Synods called by the Catholic Bishops in each province in September, and for Forward in Faith to take stock at the National Assembly in October.
May that Assembly be bold and lead us to the safe pasture being offered in our day.
People have asked for thoughts on the General Synod deliberations from an Anglo-Catholic perspective. My overwhelming emotion is utter indifference because I no longer look in that direction for help or assurance. Why? Because it has long been evident that the Church of England does not really want us, love us or care for us despite its feeble pretence to the contrary. Furthermore there was nothing on the table from the outset that could have provided us with a long term future of integrity.
Indeed following the offer of an Ordinariate I am astonished that anyone does still hold out hope for a Synodical miracle! Why would you seek to secure a begrudging and precarious existence in the margins of an increasingly liberalised religious group when you can have the fullness of life in communion with a billion like-minded brothers and sisters? Who asks for a scorpion when a father is offering bread?
That is not to say synod doesn’t intrigue me- it does! What will it mean for Rowan Williams now that the House of Clergy have voted against the amendments of the Archbishops? It certainly challenges the notion we are Episcopally led and Synodically governed. His authority now seems holed below the waterline and he will either have to resign or else limp along looking even less in control of the wreckage than is currently the case. I feel sorry for him as he really does want to find something for us. How rotten that he was held in such disregard by those who claim to be his people.
My final reflections lead me to wonder if what transpires is very good news. Now that the fig leaf is removed it is painfully obvious that we are being bundled out of the door. It puts us in a much stronger position to negotiate for our buildings, seek compensation and convince those on the fence that their bread is better buttered on the Ordinariate side. God is working his purpose out- even in the battering we receive from the synod.
I end therefore by quoting Star Wars at the point when Obi Wan Kenobi is hacked down by Darth Vader, ‘strike me down and you will make me more powerful than you can possibly imagine’ he says. Synod seeks to destroy us but ironically opens wider the path to our safety and forces us to find the courage to move. Perhaps, like Darth Vader, they will eventually repent and join us!
Doubtless such reaction will provoke anger from those who are anti-Ordinariate and who want to do business with synod. But it is only in love that I refuse to collude with their fantasy. Who would help a freind walk down a path leading only to pain and eventual death when an option for life lies in front of them? I would not enter synod’s floor because there is nothing there for us any longer. Forgive me if I am mistaken but please show some clear evidence to the contrary.
What a wonderful day! This morning family and friends gathered at S. Barnabas’ church for Pontifical High Mass with the baptism of Benedict Peter Tomlinson, my dear little boy. The celebrant was +John Broadhurst the bishop of Fulham, the deacon was Fr. Clive Jones SSC and the sub-deacon Fr. Nicholas Leveseur SSC.
The choir were in great voice and the whole thing a huge success. I would like to thank everyone who helped in any way and especially those who cleared up after our shared lunch together- what a team they were! I look forward to receiving the special rosary ordered to commemorate this day. It comes in a presentation case with images of S. Benedict adorning it. Most especially it has been blessed by none other than Pope Benedict himself. To summarise a blessed Benedictine rosary, blessed for Benedict Peter on the feast of Saint Benedict by Pope Benedict. I rather like that!! The final shot shows the godparents gathered at the font.
What a difference a year makes! Twelve months ago I was hurt, angry and bewildered by the complete lack of love and understanding being shown to traditionalists by the General Synod. Today the situation is even worse but I register almost no emotion at all. Why? Because I have long since understood that Anglo-Catholicism in the Church of England is reaching the end of its life and with joy have come to understand that our glorious movement reaches its climax by ushering us into communion with Rome.
I do however feel very sorry for the Archbishops of Canterbury and York whose proposals to offer even a modicum of hope for traditionalists was quashed by their own clergy. I have long stated that the real problem within Anglicanism hinges on authority and here was the proof writ large. Despite a warning that further marginalising traditionalists would make division worse and not better the synod went ahead and did its own thing. This is a body out of control.
I also feel sorry for those traditionalists who cannot feel excited by the offer from Rome. Today they begin to see that +Lindsay Urwin was spot on when he claimed that there is no love for them in the Church of England. Today’s vote makes it manifestly clear. They walk on with an axe hanging over their necks in the certain knowledge that they are not really wanted, accepted, understood or cared for. What a despicable reality for those whose only crime is to remain faithful to the teaching of the church throughout the ages.
But I also feel quite pleased. At least the smoke and mirrors is removed and there is clarity for those who are sitting on the fence regarding the ordinariate. If this doesn’t shove them off then nothing will! And that is why, despite the pain for many, I see God’s hand in all of this. The reality is now so clear that only a dimwitted soul could miss it. Those wanting to belong to a liberalised and increasingly secular church must remain in the Church of England. Those wanting biblical orthodoxy and faithfulness to tradition must leave to have a future of integrity.
Enough about the mean spirited and beastly synod. Today is a day of great joy and I will not let anything spoil it! It is the feast of Saint Benedict and I am looking forward to opening the doors of Saint Barnabas to family, close friends and congregation for the baptism of my little boy, Benedict Peter.
Most people think Anglo-Catholics are under fire in synod today but it was not much better in Tunbridge Wells! Because today was the school fete and, having visited each stall as a paying customer, I was hurled into the stocks to be the target of many a wet sponge! I did not mind the water as much as the look of fierce determination in the eye of the launchers!!!!
It all ended in a grand finale as every teacher stood with sponge in hand and ensured an utter drenching. Well done to all who supported this event to raise money for our school. A school which according to OFSTED is GOOD with outstanding teaching. Dont let us forget it but use it as a milestone to push on to further success.
