The TAC is not a part of the official Anglican Communion, it is what is known as a Continuing Anglican jurisdiction, not in communion with Canterbury. In Australia, it’s manifestation is known as Anglican Catholic Church in Australia; associated with it is the Church of Torres Straits. The history of how the TAC was formed, years ago, is complex. In America, the constituent group which is associated with the TAC is the Anglican Church in America.
The TAC, consisting of a world-wide group of such local Anglican jurisdictions as these, states it has a membership of around 400,000, which number has lately been stated as including around 200,000 in average Sunday attendance. Both figures came as a surprise to many other Anglicans in the Continuing movement.
The TAC, and most of the Continuing Anglican movement, are on the Anglo-Catholic side of the historical Anglican spectrum, Thus, while not excluding the evangelical portion, the TAC is more likely, generally to find the idea of some sort of union with the RCC to be a good thing. And, starting around 10 years ago, has been pursuing that end.
Anglicanorum coetibus is the form in which Rome has, at long last, decided to reply, influenced somewhat by the interest shown by two Church of England bishops, last year, given the state of Anglo-Catholicism in the CoE.
The point of the TAC approach, and the hitch-hiking from that small group in the CoE, is to look for a place where the Catholic faith can be followed, in the distinctive Anglican mode, not losing such Anglican patrimony as can be retained. This is what Rome has opened a door to, and it was a solicited offer, from a subset of Anglicans. While not all Anglo-Catholics, Continuing Anglicans, or even all laity of the TAC will respond, the offer was a good one, and I wish those who accept it well, as I wish those who offered it the same.
GKC
*posterus traditus Anglicanus, Anglicanus-Catholicus *
I would agree with other posters who say it is too much to say the Anglican church is falling apart. The Anglicans do face some problems (as with other churches, declining attendance and ageing congregations) but so do other churches including the CC. I think it should be kept in mind Mass attendance in most Western countries is only about 10-15% of the total number of those that have been baptised.
The TAC in Australia is a branch of the church whose practices are similar to Catholics and it has about 500,000 members (though in my view these may well be inflated; the levels of actual attendance is quite small in the Anglican church in Australia). Their theology, sacramental practice and moral beliefs are highly conservative and mostly in line with the CC. However it should be remembered the Australian Anglican church also has a large evangelical wing whose liturgical practice has far more in common with Pentecostalism than with Catholicism (i.e. the Hillsong style of church).
Many evangelicals would have reservations about joining the Roman church, as would the liberal Catholic wing of the church, because of the highly centralised and authoritarian style of leadership, the lack of freedom to decide a range of matters on conscience, and the hard line on issues like divorce, contraceptive use, dissent, etc. Anglicans are somewhat more relaxed on these matters and certainly Catholics fed up with the hardline conservatism of the Roman church can go the other way, as conservative Anglicans fed up with liberal practices in the Anglican church (such as ordaining women, permitting homosexual unions to be blessed, and ordaining practicing gays as ministers) go to Rome.
I would prefer to see churches to try and resolve internal differences rather than encouraging members to defect to another church. The Vatican should certainly do more to work out the problems between liberal and hardline conservative Catholics, without adopting a position which represents a defacto endorsement of the hardline position which hardliners have then used as a weapon to try to browbeat liberals into submission to their views. The Vatican should also not adopt measures which undermine the internal integrity of other churches. I am sure the Vatican would cry foul if the Anglican or Orthodox church started to encourage Catholics to leave the church en masse, which would be disruptive to the unity and Catholicity of the church. Churches should work towards reunification but not by encouraging members of other churches to leave their original denominations. Doing so undermines the integrity of the community and helps engender hostility and inflame tensions. But if people want to join a church for bona fide reasons and in good conscience, then no church should, by reason of that person’s prior denomination, act in a manner hostile or judgemental to them.
) for the Roman Catholics. The cure of souls is at stake, so everything must be in order to remove any doubt.
. I would be surprised if it is anything but positive. The dissenting Bishop already left the TAC for the ACC. Once the meeting is over, I will post a website to go to read the results. If it is not against the rules of the forum.
