ROMAN CATHOLICISM OPENS ITS DOORS TO ANGLICANS

• First, the new Catholic structures, called Personal Ordinances, will be units of the faithful within local Catholic Churches, headed by former Anglican prelates, who will now provide spiritual care for Anglicans who wish to be Catholic.  This new structure is in response to many requests that have come to the Vatican over the years from Anglicans who are disillusioned with the progressive bent of the Anglican Communion.  The new canonical provision allows married Anglican priests and even seminarians to become ordained Catholic priests—much the same way that Eastern Orthodox who are in communion with Rome are permitted to marry.  But this move also recognizes a rather sobering reality for the English church today:  The number of practicing Catholics in England is greater than the number of practicing Anglicans!!  In fact, as A.N. Wilson observes, “Within a generation, there will probably be more Muslims than practicing Anglicans in the British Isles.  Britain will no longer be able to endure the absurdity of laws relating to the religion of the monarch, the Act of Settlement, which among other things forbids the sovereign to marry a Catholic.  Or the Coronation Oath, which promises to uphold the Protestant religion.” 

• Second, from the perspective of history, this development is rather astonishing.  This decision by the Vatican comes nearly five centuries after Henry VIII in 1534 broke with Rome and proclaimed himself head of the Anglican church.  He did so because the pope refused to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon.  Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth I, completed the break with Rome by establishing the Elizabethan settlement—viz., that Anglicanism would be Protestant in theology but Catholic in ritual.  In the news conference called by Cardinal William Levada, head of the Vatican’s office on doctrine, Levada argued that this step is a part of the Vatican’s long-established goal of healing the rift between Catholicism and Anglicanism.  This announcement appeared to catch Anglican leaders off guard.  The Right Rev. Michael Scott-Joynt, co-chair of the English Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee, said that these measures “went outside the mainstream” of Vatican-Anglican dialogue.  The Anglican Church of North America rejoiced at the announcement, “[It] represents another step in the growing cooperation and relationship between our churches.”  This move by the Vatican fits with the ecumenical spirit of Pope Benedict, who has been aggressive in his attempt to bring more Christians into the Catholic fold.  For example, he has bolstered dialogue with Lutherans and other Protestant groups.  He has met with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodoxy.  Further, he lifted the ban of excommunication on the highly conservative Catholic splinter group called the Society of St. Pius X.   

• Third, what might be the effect of this Vatican move?  A rather startling result is that within the next few years we will see Catholic priests around the world celebrating Mass in a form that draws largely from the Book of Common Prayer of Anglicanism.  In effect, such a move adds to the growing smorgasbord of Catholic liturgical options.  For example in Latin America and in Africa, millions of Charismatic Catholics regularly attend spectacular Masses that feature Pentecostal faith-healing services and speaking in tongues.  Charismatic Catholicism is now an effective competitor with Protestant Pentecostalism, which is sweeping the southern hemisphere.  At bottom, the Vatican move indicates a profound shift occurring within European Christianity:  Doctrine and theology no longer matter.  The theological cleavage that occurred in the 16th century Reformation is no longer relevant in this Postmodern world.  Postmodern tolerance and doctrinal superficiality are now the buzz within Anglicanism.  The hope for theological purity and sound doctrine now rests with the southern hemisphere.  All of this is quite profound!

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