Can Anglicans be Catholic?

For those pondering this question you might like to watch these lectures by former Anglican and now Catholic Priest Rev. Dr. John Fleming who tackles the relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. Starting with the harmonising ecclesiology as typically held by communion-minded Anglicans, Fr. Fleming outlines the influence of Venerable John Henry (Cardinal) Newman, the Oxford Movement, and his own spiritual and intellectual development.

I got this from the website of the Church of St. Mary and The Angels, Hollywood's Historic "Little Church Around The Corner", which has recently voted to join the American Ordinariate when it is set up.

Damian Thompson, the Catholic bishops and a revolting building

Catholic tastes?

Damian Thompson is the blogs editor of the Daily Telegraph. I read his religious affairs blog. Very good it is. Mr.Thompson has a down on the Catholic bishops. In fact, it could be said he's near to revolt on occasions. They apparently are near to revolt over the Ordinariate, yet profess blind obedience to the Pope and his initiative. There are revolts going on all over. Some of the comments on his pages are quite revolting, from those Roman Catholics who seem to despise Anglicans in the Catholic Church. Then there are revolting comments from those within the Church of England who are sniffers-out of all things papal. Damian says he has no time for the the "Hinge and Bracket" Anglo-Catholics. Neither have the liberal-minded members of Affirming Catholicism, who affirm almost everything the Pope does not. The Anglican Bishop of Truro has no clue as to what Anglican Patrimony is. The Pope apparently does. But the Catholic bishops don't. Damian Thompson does and seems to find it better than the Roman Patrimony, if I may put it that way.

Now there is on offer a church that does indeed have an ugly look about it. This is being touted as a suitable place for converting Anglicans to worship. I detect more revolts. Even the building might turn on itself. If the inside is anything like the outside, then an Anglican High Mass would seem very muted in there. Is that the idea? It would appear that the Church of England is huffy about the Ordinariate as much as the Catholic bishops. We've heard all manner of threats about leaving, not using buildings and such.

Christian charity is short on the ground right now between many. Feelings are running high. But surely we should all take a back step, a deep breath and ask ourselves "Are we being nice to each other? Is this what Christ expects of us?"

Gay weddings to be held in St.Featherbrain's church!

The Liberal Democrat minister for "equality", Lynne Featherstone, is pushing ahead with so-called religious gay weddings. Seeing as most of those campaigning for this novelty are either atheists or agnostics or revisionists, I'd say this was an attack on Christianity rather than a measure of that euphemism of equality.

Ms Featherstone, bless her, knows nothing about the Church. She is Jewish and a liberal. That makes her rather inadequate to pontificate on this matter. The only religious bodies to get excited about this are the Quakers and the Liberal Jewish synagogues. I've nothing against them offering whatever the wish to offer. What I do object to is Ms Featherstone trying to find a way to force the Church to adopt secular notions. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is a holy estate between a man and a woman. What the state does is one thing. We may agree or disagree. She should leave well alone on matters of doctrine of which she apparently knows very little. Strange noises? Sounds like she consulted her boiler!

New laws and humbug

New Labour is in a tizzy today. It is also becoming strident in its anti-Catholic diatribe talk. Use of terms such as "homophobia" and "intolerance" have been bandied about. Even the LibDems are talking illiberal nonsense. David Laws was on the Today programme insinuating that the Catholic Church could teach children to have a hatred of homosexuals. Whilst he did not say so as such the inference was clear.

Ed Balls says, "A Catholic faith school can say to their pupils we believe as a religion contraception is wrong but what they can't do is therefore say that they are not going to teach them about contraception to children and how to access contraception. What this changes is that for the first time these schools cannot just ignore these issues or teach only one side of the argument. They also have to teach that there are different views on homosexuality. They cannot teach homophobia. They must explain civil partnership."

Where does the Catholic Church teach homophobia? Does Ed Balls think a church school cannot teach two sides of an argument? It is all such arrant nonsense, but the secular liberal elite have got some notion that, because a certain activity is deemed sinful by the Church, that it has to follow that hatred and abuse of the sinner is accepted and tolerated by the Church. So they speak in innuendo with slanderous overtones in order to push ahead with their social agenda. We have to be very vigilant that this new elite does not become a repressive regime exercised only in the promotion of their so-called equality laws.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, of the Accord Coalition, has been doing the rounds. He sees it as being perfectly OK to force his equality views onto others. Emm! Liberty needs eternal vigilance. I'm sure the rabbi knows that. We need honest education that empowers children with proper knowledge. Nobody can gainsay the truth about different sexual activities or behaviours. But seducing children with the gameplan of a political agenda is not on.

Pope in "Saving the World" controversy

It is very much a case these days of the the secular society at odds with the Catholic Faith. Unlike in previous generations, though, many of us think the ways of the secular world are trying to get into the church. Trojan horses come to mind.

The Pope has a traditional end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff. This time he said that saving the dignity of the human race was just as important as saving rainforests. We live in an era where the word "sex" has been erroneously translated into "gender". So we have more than two genders suggested to us. Any government form now will have abandoned the word sex. "What gender are you?", the various documents will declare.

The church has an understanding of the role of the male and the female. These are not blurred by fashion, but understood to be a part of a timeless Creation. Of course, it is perfectly reasonable and legitimate for others to have alternative views. My case is that taking the church's doctrines and somehow mendaciously twisting them is doing the debate no good whatsoever.

Rev Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of Britain's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, has described the Pope's remarks as "totally irresponsible and unacceptable". "When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way," she said. I doubt that is the case. It is her hyperbole. She is suggesting things that are not so. I do not know of any Christian leader (other than those of crank sects) exhorting followers to be aggressive and violent.

Ms Ferguson has her views. This is a democratic society. However, the church has an understanding of the relationship between the sexes. It is not "totally irresponsible and unacceptable" as she says, but the basis of the Catholic Faith. It may not be easy, but it is certainly not the travesty she and others suggest.

Vatican spells it out to the sacrament busters!

The Vatican has issued a statement following last night's vote in General Synod. It is not surprising. Those in the Church of England who put current social mores before church unity and the Catholic Faith are really acting as independent Christians.

The Vatican says -

We have regretfully learned of the Church of England vote to pave the way for the introduction of legislation which will lead to the ordaining of women to the Episcopacy.

The Catholic position on the issue was clearly expressed by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Such a decision signifies a breaking away from the apostolic tradition maintained by all of the Churches since the first millennium, and therefore is a further obstacle for the reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

This decision will have consequences on the future of dialogue, which had up until now born fruit, as Cardinal Kasper had clearly explained when he spoke on June 5 2006 to all of the bishops of the Church of England at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Cardinal has been invited once again to express the Catholic position at the next Lambeth Conference at the end of July.

Not only is it the position of the Vatican, but that of the Orthodox, traditional Anglicans within and without the Anglican Communion and many Old Catholics and Lutherans. In the scheme of things, its a minority belief to desire to alter the sacraments in such a manner.