In a comment on my last post about the Ordinariate, the newly "poped" former Bishop of Fulham, John Broadhurst (whom I warmly welcome to the Catholic Church), does not answer any of my questions about the need for an English Ordinariate in general, and specifically about the fact that a very high proportion of the Forward in Faith clerical constituency, at least, is homosexual, while a very high proportion of that is genitally active. He can only point to past official statements by Forward in Faith, and those actually caused widespread hilarity, not to say more than a little distress.
I hope that the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will ask about this, about Kenoticism and the underlying surrender to Biblical criticism, about universalism, about Marxism, about ties to the Far Right, about exactly what Anglican liturgy these new clergy have ever used or now plan on using such that they cannot simply be integrated into existing diocesan structures, about whether they would ever have left the Church of England if it had made them a better offer over women bishops, and about when, where and how the English Ordinariate plans on acquiring any laypeople.
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Thank you, thank you so much for saying what so many people are thinking.
ReplyDeleteDavid: The Ordinariate is already acquiring laity in groups around the country. The one of which I have close knowledge had 29 members when last I was told the figures. All will be made manifest in due course.
ReplyDeleteThis is "due course". And 29 people? Ten times that wouldn't get a Parish Priest these days.
ReplyDeleteThe question of why this provision is necessary in England, at least for FinF rather than for whatever infinitesimal the TAC may have here, remains unanswered.
After 40 years of insisting on the Modern Roman Rite, what has changed, how, and why?
David, other groups may well be larger, and I have no idea precisely how many of them there are. In any case, great oaks from small acorns grow; the Ordinariate is already gaining support from ex-Anglicans who converted some time ago, and my personal view is that it is going to become a great movement of renewal in the church. If you are still wondering why it is necessary, I suggest you ask the Holy Father, who wants it to exist; you might also look at the hierarchies in the UK and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Father probably never thought of it in England, and certainly never intended it for people who were already using the Modern Roman Rite straight, which is doubtless why Forward in Faith did not make the initial approach. Existing Catholics, including ex-Anglicans, cannot join it, as the Holy Father himself has made clear. (What with that, and no schools to act as fly-traps, how, exactly, is it supposed to grow?)
ReplyDeleteSay what you like about the English and Welsh hierarchies, but which of them has ever ordained anyone on the back of a mere two years' theological formation, and that usually consisting of nothing more than whatever a secular or secularised university would validate? And how many of them has ever tolerated and cultivated the Anglo-Catholic subculture straight out of 'Are You Being Served?' and 'The Rocky Horror Show'?