Anglicans talk of unity with Rome

[cmotherofpirl]

Anglicans talk of unity with Rome


The Archbishop of Canterbury has signalled that the rift between Anglicans and Catholics stemming from the Reformation could finally be healed, following the reconciliation between the churches during the reign of John Paul II.

A London Times report published in The Australian today says that as cardinals prepare to elect a new pope, Rowan Williams, the first Archbishop of Canterbury to attend a pope's funeral, said "the roots we have put down in recent years are far too deep to uproot".

Dr Williams, who sat in the front row opposite the papal coffin at last Friday's funeral, said: "It seemed to me absolutely natural that the Archbishop of Canterbury should come to share the prayers, hopes, grief and thanksgiving of our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters."

Dr Williams said that although the breach with Rome -- dating to the 16th century Reformation, which aimed to reform the Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches -- was "not yet at an end", there had been an irreversible reconciliation between Anglicans and Catholics during the reign of John Paul II for his successor to build on.

Bishop John Flack, the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative in Rome, said that "when John Paul II became pope 27 years ago, many Anglicans would not have accepted that he was the leader of all Christians".

SOURCE

[FutureSoror]

:wub:

[geetarplayer]

The Methodist church down the street from us had this message on their marquee: [b]"CONDOLENCES TO OUR CATHOLIC BROTHERS AND SISTERS"[/b]

It was very heartwarming. :wub:

-Mark

[jezic]

oh my, another one......

[dUSt]

I attend an Anglican rite church every once in awhile. It's the closest Catholic church to my house, and the only church in town that still uses incense and an altar rail.

[MC Just]

Wonderful!!!

[FiZzGiG]

So, does this mean, that maybe someday the Anglicans will recognize the Church as the Church of Christ and the pope as the leader??

Because that's INCREDIBLE!! And GREAT!!!

[dUSt]

[quote name='FiZzGiG' date='Apr 11 2005, 10:35 PM'] So, does this mean, that maybe someday the Anglicans will recognize the Church as the Church of Christ and the pope as the leader??

Because that's INCREDIBLE!! And GREAT!!!


[/quote]
What happened to many Anglican churches a few years back was that entire parishes converted. A special "Anglican usage" label was given to these churches (I'm not sure if there is an actual Anglican rite... anybody?). Basically, they converted to Catholicism, hold our same beliefs, recognize the authority of the pope, etc. The only difference is that they were given permission to retain some of their Anglican traditions and incorporate them into their own special, valid, liturgy. Having attended one of these churches, it's actually similar to the Novus Ordo in many ways, except with a lot more Latin and an altar rail for receiving communion.

My guess is that if the Anglican church ever did come back home, they would do so by forming an Anglican rite (if there's not one already), and obtain their traditions, but consent to the authority of the pope in all matters of faith and morals.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

He's also a left wing nut...let's hope he doesn't think he can change the Church.

[FiZzGiG]

But they would be unified with Rome right?

And do you think this is really possible in our lifetime, or even in the near future?

[Birgitta Noel]

With God, ALL things are possible!

[jiyoung]

one by one, everyone is coming home ^^ praise the Lord!

[phatcatholic]

the Anglican Church will never unite, as a whole, with Catholicism b/c its not really a unified "Church." by allowing the laity to believe whatever the want, she has undermined the authority of her bishops and essentially, truth itself. so, if the Archbishop of Canterbery says "we shall unite with Rome" the lay Anglican only follows along if he wants to. so, you'll never have the whole Church unite w/ Rome. instead, you'll have individual Anglicans realizing that truth and authority are undermined in Anglicanism and consequently converting to the only Church in which these things are upheld.

[Mrvoll]

I hope they do, then there is churches to attend

P.S.- Is it a sin to attend a prostant service?

Thanks

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='Mrvoll' date='Apr 12 2005, 07:04 AM'] P.S.- Is it a sin to attend a prostant service?
[/quote]
no, but i think its a sin to go up and receive their "communion." also, the protestant service can never fulfill our sunday obligation.

[dspen2005]

christian unity can ONLY come about by submission to the Roman Pontiff....

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
4/12 - Third Tuesday of Easter

Christian unity can only come about by submission to Jesus Christ, and by prayer and fasting.

The medieval "nickname" for the British Isles was "Our Lady's Dowry" - perhaps we may soon truly have a dowry for Our Lady.

[RandomProddy]

[quote name='dUSt' date='Apr 12 2005, 05:29 AM'] I attend an Anglican rite church every once in awhile. It's the closest Catholic church to my house, and the only church in town that still uses incense and an altar rail. [/quote]
Almost all Anglican churches have their altar rails and most use them as Vatican II (surprisingly) wasn't implemented. Incense is used in some parishes but not the majority in England. The liturgy is almost identical to a Roman Catholic one with some differences but it's mainly in translation. I surprised my Catholic roommate once (staunch Irish Catholic) by giving him the service sheet to one of the churches nearby. When he realized we had an Angelus blessing at the end of the service and his didn't he went quiet. Perhaps he thought we sacrificed goats or something...

One thing that should be pointed out is that American Anglicans tend to be very "high church" (smells, bells..) and British Anglicans tend to be more varied (for example, there are a lot of evangelical Anglicans in the UK compared to the US. One example of this is the Alpha Course). It could be a big help, showing American Evangelicals that they can be a part of a greater church rather than just starting a new denomination. Many Catholics have a bit of a culture shock seeing a happy-clappy evangelical service with a eucharist using communion rails. Most non-Anglicans don't see how they can coexist.

[quote name='Raphael']He's also a left wing nut...let's hope he doesn't think he can change the Church.[/quote]
He's a left-wing nut by American standards.

[quote name='FiZzGiG']But they would be unified with Rome right?

And do you think this is really possible in our lifetime, or even in the near future?[/quote]

I'd give it 25-50 years. I think we will want to absorb a few more protestant denominations first (Methodists, ELCA etc..) then come back to the fold.

[quote name='phatcatholic']the Anglican Church will never unite, as a whole, with Catholicism b/c its not really a unified "Church." by allowing the laity to believe whatever the want, she has undermined the authority of her bishops and essentially, truth itself. so, if the Archbishop of Canterbery says "we shall unite with Rome" the lay Anglican only follows along if he wants to. so, you'll never have the whole Church unite w/ Rome. instead, you'll have individual Anglicans realizing that truth and authority are undermined in Anglicanism and consequently converting to the only Church in which these things are upheld.[/quote]

There has historically always been a fear in England of any foreign power trying to influence us (hence the occasional apprehension of Catholics). It's weakening as we go further into Europe though.

The Anglican Communion isn't united like the Roman Catholic Church though. Individual Anglican churches are strongly unified but the churches themselves are loosely joined. So, for example, an individual diocese in England is strongly linked in the Church of England but the join between (say) the Church of England and the Church of Ireland isn't quite as iron-tight.

[quote name='Pio Nono']The medieval "nickname" for the British Isles was "Our Lady's Dowry" - perhaps we may soon truly have a dowry for Our Lady. [/quote]

How much do you think it would cost?

Edited April 12, 2005 by RandomProddy

[Aloysius]

Random Proddy, where does Vatican II say to get rid of altar rails? I'm pretty sure it doesn't I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure

common misconception to label everything under the label Vatican II

[dspen2005]

it doesn't say get rid of the altar rails. the problem that we face is this notion of the "spirit of VII". If people, the faithful, read the docs VII built upon the previous councils - nothing -- dogmatically speaking -- changed from the previous councils. The Church of today is STILL the ONE CHURCH CHRIST FOUNDED