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Deretter skriver han at den viktigste gruppen høykirkelige anglikanere i England har hatt generalforsamling denne helgen.
Her er lenke til generalforsamlingen med lydfiler av talene. http://www.forwardinfaith.com/news/na09-10.html
Jeg hørte på et par av talene fra konferansen (som utelukkende behandlet pavens siste utspill) uten å bli så veldig klok, men leste siden et par rapporter, som gjør ting en hel del klarere – bl.a. her. Forfatteren skriver at han nå håper at noen tusen anglikanere blir katolikker, men ikke de hundretusener som egentlig tenker på det.
At the Outset, let me say that if I sound more optimistic than some of the other people who’ve written about this process thus far, it’s probably because I started from a place of greater skepticism about how the offer would be received. I never believed that whole dioceses and provinces within the Anglican Communion would suddenly realize that they wanted to enter communion with the See of Peter mostly because they were unhappy about the direction of the Anglican Communion. True conversion has to be a running to, not a running from. Again I remind Catholics that this is a time to practice the fruits of the Spirit, especially patience, kindness, and self-control. Jesus stood dumb before his accusers. I hope that we all can at least manage to remain civil in discussing a process that doesn’t involve most of us directly. …
Archbishop Hepworth made a very successful speech praising the Holy Father’s generosity, assuaging doubts and taking naysayers. He actively put the best possible face on the future for the delegates saying that they had be assured that they would be treated as Anglican Catholics, just as there are Roman, Ukranian, and Maronite Catholics–that while the ordinariates were not a rite, they looked an awfully lot like one. … … he had to reassure the assembly and those listening that this was what they had asked and prayed for for decades and now it had been generously given to them. To Catholics and to especially my fellow converts, since we often carry the biggest chips on our shoulders, who want to rage about the evils of Anglicanism and want people to come crawling, chastened, and cowed, remember that it is the Holy Father himself who has chosen to kill the fatted calf. It seems that the least we can all do is make merry. Reviewing the parable of the wages of the laborers in the vineyard might do us all some good.
The session with young priests and ordinands was the most heartening. Naturally you have to temper this a bit given that those who are yet to start their careers and those near the end have the fewest issues to deal with in joining the ordinariates, but it was still incredibly heartening. Here are a few quotes: «I am in absolute awe of the Holy Father.» «First I am a Christian, then I am a Catholic, and then I am an Anglican. I look forward to the day when I can fully be a Catholic Christian.» «It is time we said thank you to the Holy Father. I look forward to the day we can say ‘our Holy Father. Pope Benedict, thank you for all of us.» …
The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali played the spoiler role I had expected but with consumate Anglican style. After a long opening of very bishopy musing on the nature of the church, he raised questions (I’d say doubts) about the Holy Father’s offer in several areas, …
The last word went to the Bishop of Fulham, John Broadhurst, who handled a tricky task with great adroitness. He praised the Holy Father to the skies; he shed tears for his love of the Church of England; but closed saying he said he wasn’t going until he could find a way for everyone could go together. Was this the ringing endorsement I wanted to hear? Certainly not, but the key in the speech, to my mind, was his stating very clearly that any doubts he had previously held about the universal jurisdiction of the papacy had been quashed as he’d watched the developments in the Church of England, signaling that he no longer has theological objections. …
So after two days, it seems we know that TAC has its bags packed and ready and that a good number of FIF members within the Church of England are coming on the fast track regardless of what the C of E offers them and that more are likely to follow. We know that FIF in the US and the Anglo-Catholics in the Anglican Church in North America are taking a pass as are most of the large Anglican provinces in the developing world. I’d say that, realistically this is about as good an outcome as was possible.