Hi Claire,
You are correct in telling your friend that he can not receive Communion in your church even after he is confirmed in the Anglo-Catholic Church. This is a very hard point for many of us non-Catholics to accept since most of us believe that it is by the Lord’s invitation that all baptized believers are welcome at His Table and who are we to deny them.
God Bless!
Emerald,
There is a longing for unity, or should be, in all Christians. Unity can be broken and reestablished. The longing or desire for unity does not in itself create unity, but provides the inspiration to resolve the differences that cause disunity.
The disruption of unity between Anglicans and Catholics was caused by political and theological disputes. There were many martyrs.
One of the disputed issues is Anglican orders. There are many arguments over the validity of Anglican orders that point to different historical evidence to make their claims. For Catohlics, Rome decides, Canterbury has no say. Given the disintegration happening now at Lambeth, thank God for that.
Nevertheless, you understand that in order to have a valid Eucharist there must be a validly ordained priest.
Since the Anglicans have ordained women and the Catholics say
no woman can be a priest, as defined by the late Pope John Paul II, it will be impossible for the Catholic Church to recognize the validity of Anglican orders, not from any historical basis, but based on current Anglican practice. There are women now who claim to be Catohlic priests. Rome says they have excommincated themsleves and their ordinations are not valid, because women can not be priests. It is impossible. So Rome says the Anglican’s have no ability to confect a valid Eucharist.
With that being the case, intercommunion is not possible.
The Anglican Church is in crisis with internal disputes on morals and practice. They do not know what they believe on some things such as women’s role in the Church and ordained minsitry, abortion, sexual morality, women bishops and practicing homosexual bishops and preists. Whatever positions are correct, this is a group in chaos. In addition to Orders being straghtened out before untiy can be restored and something as important as intercommunion established the Anglicans need to define their own moral positions and if they agree with Catholic doctrine then they can try to work out differences with Rome.
Right now Anglicanism appears to be a sinking ship. It is in total disarray and marching further toward the abyss of Anglican schism by some and abandonment of Anglicanism to reunite with Rome by others.
Rome fears schism. Schism has severe, painful and long lasting consequneces, but schism is also a consequence in itself.
An historically observable phenomenon integral to Protestantism is division. Protestant groups break into separate groups and we have denominationalism, many churches with disunity over doctrinal disputes. That can only continue to happen and it is painful to watch from the outside. I have good friends who over thrity years have been through several church splits. Rowan Willams is in agony now, squirming. There is nothing he can do to put this divided house back together. There is no compromise possible. There is also nothing Rome can do to help this tragedy we are witnessing. Out of the wreckage something will emerge.
God is on His throne. He cares about His Church and all souls. As these events unfold we can only pray for souls including those who seem to reject God’s revelation.
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