Not even trickle of Canadian Anglicans to Catholicism (over gay blessings)

[Fintan]

Not even trickle of Canadian Anglicans to Catholicism (over gay blessings)

THE SEARCH

Many Canadian Catholics have been enthusiastic in recent years that dissident Anglicans, who have been feuding with liberals for years over homosexual blessings and priests, will find their way to the Catholic church as a theological safe haven.

But it just isn’t happening, according to an article in The Catholic Register.

The Register article, headlined “Hopes fade for Anglican ordinariate,” says there has been a serious decline in recent years in the number of Anglicans talking about finding a place in the Catholic church. The drop-off in interest among Anglicans occurred just after the pope, amid some controversy, made it possible two years ago.

Go here for the full article on this unusual situation, by veteran writer Michael Swan.

If you are one of the many people unfamiliar with the term, “ordinariate,” here is the beginning of the Wikipedia definition:

A personal ordinariate is a canonical structure within the Catholic Church enabling former Anglicans to maintain some degree of corporate identity and autonomy with regard to the bishops of the geographical dioceses of the Catholic Church and to preserve elements of their distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony…

The new structure is intended to integrate these groups into the life of the Roman Catholic Church in such a way as “to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared”.[3]

[Pseudojim]

With the pope's and the vatican's actions over the last... well, since catholicism's inception, i can't see this as a surprise

[mnguy]

Haha, that's great. I remember hearing how all these Episcopalians were going to jump ship and go to the catholic church. I'm glad it was all just a bunch of bluster. Maybe it's different in the US, but probably not.

[Fintan]

Yeah it is good news. Especially when a Catholic news paper admits it.

But the Pope obviously thinks there is enough American Episcopalians and British Anglicans that are angry with the Anglican Churches increasingly liberal stance on 'Gay issues' and female clergy that he has set up ordinates in those countries...

[zeratul]

The Catholic church is just staunchly backwards on certain issues that make no sense. Female priests? Contraception? Types of instrument allowed to be played in church? Language? It's like they have no common sense.

Granted, given that their most fervent supporters are from third world countries that have a completely different mindset and set of issues from the inhabitants of the first world countries; So why bother complaining that people are not jumping on board? Their lack of attention to the needs of the people who live here in Canada logically leads to this result...

[Pseudojim]

Originally Posted by zeratul

It's like they have no common sense.

I think that's a common trait shared with many heavily dogmatic hierarchies, if not all of them. At the very best, selective common sense perhaps

[Fintan]

Originally Posted by Pseudojim

I think that's a common trait shared with many heavily dogmatic hierarchies, if not all of them. At the very best, selective common sense perhaps

Fair enough, but keeping in mind that 'common sense' is subjective and there is a reason for these differences.

The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church subscribe to the belief of 'prima scriptura' while Protestants believe in 'sola scriptura'.

In simple terms; Protestants believe that doctrine (correct belief) is solely revealed by 'scripture'. So, Protestant beliefs can change according to how the 'church' interprets the Bible.

However, Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe that while 'scripture' is the most important way that doctrine is revealed, doctrine can also be revealed by way of the Sacred/Holy Tradition. Essentially the idea that doctrine is a living thing and the Holy Spirit may reveal it to generations of people who live within Christ's Church.

So whereas, the Anglican/Episcopal Church might gather together its church leaders in 1930 and vote to change its stance on contraceptives based on their 'current' understanding of the Bible; the Roman Catholic Church would have to consider not just the Bible but also what generations of church doctors and scholars 'inspired by the Holy Spirit' have said on the topic.

[Pseudojim]

So if i gather you correctly, in theory the catholic church has the more potential to be progressive?

[Fintan]

Wow. I don't know. I think you'd need a PhD in the field to speculate with any sort of authority on this.

But I guess? If Protestants are limited to 'interpreting scripture' then they are always somehow holden to the actual words in the page. But the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches could perhaps argue that their 'experience' of living the faith adds to the worlds on the page thus 'adjusted' their meaning?

However, in practice so far, it seems the 'experience' of the faithful seems to lags significantly behind the more liberal ebb of interpreting scripture, but not on the hard right either. It seems the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches sit somewhere between Hard Right Christian Fundamentalists and Left-Leaning Traditional Protestants (Anglican/Episcopal, Methodist, Congregationalist, Lutheran, Presbyterian etc.)

Good question.

[Pseudojim]

Well i hope in my life time it's a potential that comes to fruition!