I heard something interesting coming out of the Vatican recently that attracted my attention and that of many others. The Vatican announced that it is opening its doors to all those disaffected with the Anglican Church (Episcopalian in the U.S.). It is welcoming even those priests that are married and with children even allowing them to keep their beliefs and traditions; they will have to go through some “re-training” though.
At first read, I thought that the Vatican has found a way to ease its priest shortage. Those Anglican priests who are most disaffected do not agree with their own church’s rulings allowing women to become priests or gay people to become priests or even allowing same sex marriages to be performed. In essence, the Vatican would get the staunch conservatives they so desire.
This is not unprecedented or shocking news because Pope Paul II opened the door to Anglicans in 1980 and there has been an on-going dialogue between Rome and Canterbury about joining the two churches for many years. If you remember, Henry VIII broke with the Vatican and started his own church in England when the then Pope would not grant him dispensation to marry over and over again. Essentially, it became a Catholic church with the king or queen of England as head instead of the pope.
On the surface, this appears like a shrewd move on the part of the Vatican, making the most of the turmoil in the worldwide Anglican Church but I see it as a fundamental division, schism if you will, among Roman and close to Roman Catholicism.
Many Catholics left their church to join the Anglican Church because they could not longer stomach the Vatican’s conservative and in many cases, preposterous positions on religious and social issues but they still wanted to maintain Catholic ceremonial traditions they grew up with; the Anglican Church was perfect for them.
Now those Anglicans that want to maintain their conservative positions have an opportunity to maintain those positions by joining the Roman Catholic Church; it’s just a big switcheroo.
Pope Benedict has not tried to hide the fact that he wants to wash the liberal stain of Vatican II right out of the church. He wants to take the church back to the dark good ole’ days of smoke, mirrors and superstition and there are many Catholics and Anglicans that prefer it that way even to bringing back the unintelligible to most, Latin language as the language of the mass; it adds to the mystery and solemnity of the mass when you can’t understand the incantations.
The questions many are asking have to do with priestly celibacy and the fact that if you want to become a Catholic priest but want a wife and kids, all you have to do is become an Anglican priest, marry, procreate and then convert to Roman Catholicism.
A very interesting situation to be sure…
At first read, I thought that the Vatican has found a way to ease its priest shortage. Those Anglican priests who are most disaffected do not agree with their own church’s rulings allowing women to become priests or gay people to become priests or even allowing same sex marriages to be performed. In essence, the Vatican would get the staunch conservatives they so desire.
This is not unprecedented or shocking news because Pope Paul II opened the door to Anglicans in 1980 and there has been an on-going dialogue between Rome and Canterbury about joining the two churches for many years. If you remember, Henry VIII broke with the Vatican and started his own church in England when the then Pope would not grant him dispensation to marry over and over again. Essentially, it became a Catholic church with the king or queen of England as head instead of the pope.
On the surface, this appears like a shrewd move on the part of the Vatican, making the most of the turmoil in the worldwide Anglican Church but I see it as a fundamental division, schism if you will, among Roman and close to Roman Catholicism.
Many Catholics left their church to join the Anglican Church because they could not longer stomach the Vatican’s conservative and in many cases, preposterous positions on religious and social issues but they still wanted to maintain Catholic ceremonial traditions they grew up with; the Anglican Church was perfect for them.
Now those Anglicans that want to maintain their conservative positions have an opportunity to maintain those positions by joining the Roman Catholic Church; it’s just a big switcheroo.
Pope Benedict has not tried to hide the fact that he wants to wash the liberal stain of Vatican II right out of the church. He wants to take the church back to the dark good ole’ days of smoke, mirrors and superstition and there are many Catholics and Anglicans that prefer it that way even to bringing back the unintelligible to most, Latin language as the language of the mass; it adds to the mystery and solemnity of the mass when you can’t understand the incantations.
The questions many are asking have to do with priestly celibacy and the fact that if you want to become a Catholic priest but want a wife and kids, all you have to do is become an Anglican priest, marry, procreate and then convert to Roman Catholicism.
A very interesting situation to be sure…
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