Belonging House

I have received a number of questions regarding the announcement of a new Apostolic Constitution regarding Anglicans who wish to align with the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope has taken a bold action. This is much bolder than any Anglican, and recognizes the seriousness of the matter. The fact that the Pope has been willing to act, and act quickly, in the face of a pastoral emergency speaks volumes. It also will, I believe, have many unintended consequences.
To disclose fully my perspective, I spent most of my adult life working in the Episcopal/Anglican Church. I have friends in all the various factions of the splits that have occurred, and I foresaw the split long before any of my superiors were willing to admit there was a problem. I told my supervisor in 1997 that the Episcopal church as we know it would not exist in ten years, and I was right. He thought I was an extremist.
To present more of the back-story, I have watched as the various conservative, traditional, and orthodox camps have tried to realign themselves within the Anglican world. What I have seen is repetition of the many problems that led to the rise of the pan-sexual agenda that tore the church apart. The inability to call “sin” sin was built into the collegial network of bishops, priests, and gin drinkers. The Anglican church operates in many levels like an English boys’ club. Membership has it’s privileges, and one of those privileges has been to wink and nod at indiscretion. This problem in Anglicanism continues, even in the bodies that have been formed out of the Episcopal Church. There are several incompetent leaders and capricious ordinations continue to happen. (To be honest, there are a few heroic leaders too, like Martyn Minns, but they are not the critical mass.) Sexual improprieties are still happening. All in all, the legitimacy of the entire thing continues to be called into question. From an insider’s perspective, this is the same Episcopal Church without homosexuality—but everything else.
My great concern over the past ten years has been to recognize what God is doing. For about three years I have been waiting for the Catholic Church to move. I knew that if she did, it would be close to a miracle. My sense is that God is moving in the world, and we are in the beginning phases of a major realignment. Pope Benedict understands this. Benedict is a thinker, and from reading his works in seminary, he understands the larger challenge facing the church and culture. He understands that the questions of the Reformation are no longer being asked in the West. He also understands that there are millions of Anglicans who do not have a “home.” He sidestepped the ecumenists at the Vatican for one important reason; they are answering questions that no one is asking. Questions of language and institutional bureaucracy are not important in the light of the sheep who have no place to rest their head.
Of course, the Apostolic Constitution is not public yet. I am commenting on press releases and a press conference. I am reserving a lot of judgment until I read it. But, if the things I have read so far are true, then the implications of this decision are huge. Essentially, the Vatican appears to be willing to remove a 500 year barrier between Anglicans and Rome. There are provisions for married clergy, and provisions to retain the tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. There are no provisions for married bishops (and I believe the Vatican is judging rightly—most of the problem has been with the Anglican bishops. This removes them handily). I think the Pope also foresees that Elizabeth’s heir is not fit to be the head of a spiritual body and is providing a solution. What this will mean for individuals as compared to corporate entities, we shall see. If these provisions are only for corporate entities to align structurally, but not for individuals to be received without conversion, then it may not make a difference. Some Anglican writers seem to think that this is going to result in “quarantine” for the Anglican Catholics.
As for unintended consequences, like Vatican II, there are going to be surprises. If this provision is made for Anglicans, then where do the Lutherans and the Methodists fit? Could we see a movement made to receive Lutherans, who in doctrine and practice are closely related to the Anglican church? Certainly in the U.S. where the Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Synod have formally been in relationship for about a decade, this is a real question. And the Methodists, those children of Anglicanism, whose emphasis on spiritual discipline and the sacraments prepared the ground for the Anglo-Catholic movement in the first place, will there eventually be provisions for them? The implications of this move could be felt far into the future. Has the Pope opened a loop-hole that one could drive a truck through? Also, is this provision regarding married clergy going to raise this back onto the center of the church’s radar? I guess only time will tell.
Of course, a few voices out there are saying there are insurmountable doctrinal differences. I am not sure if this is the truth. My experience in working with Roman Catholics and reading Roman Catholic writers has given me the hope that there is more in common than divergent. Certainly the Church is not going to trot off the cliff of heresy any time soon. And it is a better place for a pro-life activist like myself.
When I taught classes for those who were joining the Episcopal Church, I talked about the “gift of authority.” This gift came down to us from the Apostles and includes the authority of Scripture, and the collected wisdom and tradition of the church. It is a precious commodity, and although it is conferred through the laying on of hands, it is not maintained that way. Anglicanism has squandered its birthright, and given up its moral authority. The Roman Catholic Church knows that its authority comes from being faithful with the message as well as being faithful with offices. Maybe she has learned the lesson that the Reformation needed to teach, and now it’s time to move on. I know for me personally, I am going to weigh this gesture from the Vatican carefully. It has been a long sojourn through the wilderness, and it would be nice to have a church to go home to.