Divine Providence, the recognition that God guides the world for good according to his plan, is an essential teaching within Catholicism and we may be seeing it in action. For months, the Church of England has wrestled with the issue of female bishops, specifically how that community could implement them without causing an exodus of Anglo-Catholics and certain evangelicals. Various plans were suggested, including having male bishops oversee those who could not in good conscience accept female bishops.
Now, however, a key committee advising General Synod (the governing body that guides CofE policy) has recommended that women bishops have complete control over their dioceses with no special guarantees for traditionalists. Essentially, Anglo-Catholics are being told, you must submit to this revisionist agenda or face the wrath of your bishop! Granted, the committee recognizes that individual bishops could allow charitable arrangements, but most of the first female bishops are likely to be activist types who will be in no mood for “backward” Anglo-Catholics.
So, where does Divine Providence fit in? As the CofE prepares to exclude some of its members, essentially telling them to get lost, the Pope has just created a very generous process to bring Anglo-Catholics to the Catholic Church while letting them keep a good deal of their identity. I find it amusing that the liberal, supposedly inclusive Church of England is throwing people out while the supposedly big bad conservative Pope is welcoming them in. My how stereotypes (and mission statements) can be deceiving!
David Bennett
Jennifer
asimplesinner
Fr. J.
Chad T.
Jorge Flores
Jonathan B
carmelbennett
nicenehobbit
Jason S
jaybird68
papaz
Dave Hartline
faceman
I am training for Ordained Ministry with many Traditional Catholics and I can feel their pain at being ordered what to do (or be) by Rome or the General Synod. To be fair the C of E would be at loss if a great number of Traditionalists would leave. The Catholic movement has kept the C of E alive in her understanding of sacraments and particularly of the Eucharist. Leave her just in the hands of wishy-washy liberals and double-predestinated pseudo-Calvinists and it will all fall apart.
Besides I am not too sure that the General Synod’s Committee is made up entirely by Liberals…
Jonathan B,
Stereotypes can definitely be deceiving, particularly when they are doncocted by those whose knowledge of the subjects being stereotyped are based on hearsay mixed with a liberal (pun intended) dose of ignorance, as is the case with the stereotyping of the Catholic Church.
Pax et bonum,
Keith Töpfer
for me women has no place in terms of celebrating the holy Eucharist. because in the first place Jesus founded His church to his apostles that Peter was the foundation of His Church 2000 years ago. He did not ordained a woman priest. according to Saint Paul on his letter to the Corinthians that the woman is under his husband. now if you say that this practice was quite old and it does not fit to our time maybe one thing that i can say unto remove this particular verse from your bible. because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever
I’m with both Damian Thompson (English orthodox RC) and Christina Rees (American-born liberal Church of England) on this. Put another way both the Catholic and the liberal say: either ordain women or don’t. No codes of practice, flying bishops or second-class clergy; that’s theological madness. This is the end of Anglo-Catholicism in the C of E but I appreciate the C of E’s honesty.
YF,
Right on, as always. Flying bishops and second class clergy make no sense, especially from a Catholic perspective. To embrace them just to stay in the CofE really is madness. It’s time for the Anglo-Catholic experiment to die so they can go to Rome or Constantinople. The CofE will have only a pseudo-Catholic wing (in the affirming caths), but will be more honest and true to itself: a liberal, Protestant state church.
Oh dear! The point of Anglo-Catholicism is not (and was not) to put on great shows with bells and whistles for their own sake. Neither was it’s aim to put up barriers between laity and clergy. Indeed, quite the opposite. Have a look at the history of history of the Anglo-Catholic movement before and after the Tractarians and please don’t soil this tradition of the Church of Englad painting it a misogenist or hypocritically closeted. Even if many will leave for Rome, there will still be a need for Anglo-Catholicism in the C of E. A new ‘Catholic Revival’ that -aiding to the words of Ken Leech and the Vatican II (about religious orders)- will have look again at its key figures and be reborn.
Anglo-Catholicism and ordained women are not in opposition. They are so only when some individuals use it as their war banner or a dark corner in which to weep remembering times long gone.