Rome tells Anglicans: it's time to decide if you are Protestants or Catholics

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The Vatican said last night that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient sacramental Churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, told the Catholic Herald that the Anglican Communion must “clarify its identity” and stop hovering between the Catholic and Protestant traditions.

He said: “Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong? Does it belong more to the Churches of the first millennium – Catholic and Orthodox – or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century?

Full articles:

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/holysmoke/may2008/rometellsanglicanstodecide.htm

catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000273.shtml
 
Why should they?

Kasper’s request says more about his own presuppositions than anything else.
 
I think it’s a fine question.

For Anglicans like me, it’s the former.

GKC

Anglicanus Catholicus, posterus traditus Anglicanus
 
I’ve never once met an Anglican who claimed to be anything other than a Protestant.
 
Lepanto said:
The Vatican said last night that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient sacramental Churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, told the Catholic Herald that the Anglican Communion must “clarify its identity” and stop hovering between the Catholic and Protestant traditions.

He said: “Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong? Does it belong more to the Churches of the first millennium – Catholic and Orthodox – or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century?

Full articles:

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ukcorrespondents/holysmoke/may2008/rometellsanglicanstodecide.htm

catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000273.shtml
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I think he’s absolutely right. For Anglicans and for me personally. I decided ten years ago that I was going to follow the first of those options, but as an Anglican it is easy to waffle in practice. And that’s not entirely bad. It’s good that we can function as a “bridge” church, but we need to keep our priorities clear. In other words, we adhere to the traditions coming out of the Reformation only insofar as they do not impair our allegiance to historic Catholicism (in the sense of the faith of the first millennium). Having just been trying to explain first-millennium Christianity (specifically the iconoclastic controversy) to a roomful of evangelical Protestants, I feel the point of the Cardinal’s appeal keenly.

Edwin
 
This is something that has been a long time comming. I wish it had been an Anglican who issued the call. It looks like more Roman Imperialism to some non-Catholics.
 
ralphinal said:
This is something that has been a long time comming. I wish it had been an Anglican who issued the call. It looks like more Roman Imperialism to some non-Catholics.
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Yes, but this is Kasper the gentle ecumenist, the supposed liberal alternative to Ratzinger’s growly Ultra-Conservative German Shepherd!

At the end of the day either we care about Christian unity or we don’t. Either we think there is a faith once delivered to the saints or we don’t. If we do think and we do care, then we have no reason to object to the Cardinal’s calling us on the carpet.

In other words, here’s one Anglican who’d be happy to issue the call if anyone would listen to him!

Edwin
 
Contarini said:
Yes, but this is Kasper the gentle ecumenist, the supposed liberal alternative to Ratzinger’s growly Ultra-Conservative German Shepherd!

At the end of the day either we care about Christian unity or we don’t. Either we think there is a faith once delivered to the saints or we don’t. If we do think and we do care, then we have no reason to object to the Cardinal’s calling us on the carpet.

In other words, here’s one Anglican who’d be happy to issue the call if anyone would listen to him!

Edwin
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I agree, once I thought about that first line. Anyway, I think that there will be some who do. They are the ones who are sick of the way some of their religious are leading the faith. Or they are scared that they may fall into oblivion.
 
He said: “Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong? Does it belong more to the Churches of the first millennium – Catholic and Orthodox – or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century?
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Well, the way things are going, with the likes of Bishop Gene “I love sodomy” Robinson and bishop Katharine “I am woman hear me roar” Jefferts Schori, I think there are forces in the Anglican Communion that are pushing the Anglican Church into the 22nd century.

I pray for the more level-headed Anglican in Africa and the more conservative (read: faithful) movements here in the USA. There is much good there, let us all pray these faithful are not destroyed and that true unity is restored.
 
GKC said:
Hi, there.

Let me introduce myself.

GKC

Anglicanus Catholicus
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OK, quick restatement. I have never met an Anglican in person who claimed to be anything other than a Protestant.
 
LDNCatholic said:
OK, quick restatement. I have never met an Anglican in person who claimed to be anything other than a Protestant.
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Fair enough.

You need to get out more, then. Drop by the parish; I’ll introduce to a bunch of us.

GKC

posterus traditus Anglicanus
 
rpp said:
I pray for the more level-headed Anglican in Africa and the more conservative (read: faithful) movements here in the USA. There is much good there, let us all pray these faithful are not destroyed and that true unity is restored.
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I know what you’re saying, but the conservatives are as much in schism with the Church founded by Christ (the Catholic Church)as are the progressives. The main difference between those two camps seems to be issues of morality.

When you say that we should pray for unity, I agree if by that you mean reunification with the Catholic Church–at which time Anglicanism should be discarded as another dead branch on the tree of Christianity. I really see no reason to pray for the unity of Anglicanism within itself. All that does is promote disunity with the Catholic Church. Protestantism is intrinsically disruptive to unity.

The fact that Anglicanism is undergoing a catharthis may be the only way that many individual Anglicans finally make their way home to Rome, and that’s a good thing.
 
The tightrope that is the Via Media started to unravel a long time ago. I fell to safety just about 14 years ago. . . .
 
GKC said:
Fair enough.

You need to get out more, then. Drop by the parish; I’ll introduce to a bunch of us.

GKC

posterus traditus Anglicanus
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Theres a 1000 year old church round the corner from my house, they are High Anglicans and their vicar is on the council for the local Catholic primary school. Even they call themselves Protestants 😛

But if I ever get a flight out to the States I’ll take you up on that.
 
LDNCatholic said:
Theres a 1000 year old church round the corner from my house, they are High Anglicans and their vicar is on the council for the local Catholic primary school. Even they call themselves Protestants 😛

But if I ever get a flight out to the States I’ll take you up on that.
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I’ll have the mat out for you.

There is a subtle distinction between a high church Anglican and an Anglo-Catholic. Mostly, it’s academic, since there is a large overlap between the two. But the Anglo-Catholics are more concerned with doctrine, and the high churchers with ritual. In a sense, one is more the offspring of the Oxford movment, one of the Ritualists. But they are pretty well intermixed. Still, not’s not uncommon to find a high church parish that considers itself protestant. Nor a parish that says “Catholic”.

Still, if you do make it by (Mass is at 1000, and our music director leaves shortly there after to play at St. Jospeh’s {RC} a couple of miles away; he can get you there to fulfill your obligation), you’ll see the signs up on the wall of the narthex and the nave. Yep. Says "Catholic, right there.

GKC
 
GKC said:
There is a subtle distinction between a high church Anglican and an Anglo-Catholic. Mostly, it’s academic, since there is a large overlap between the two. But the Anglo-Catholics are more concerned with doctrine, and the high churchers with ritual. In a sense, one is more the offspring of the Oxford movment, one of the Ritualists. But they are pretty well intermixed. Still, not’s not uncommon to find a high church parish that considers itself protestant. Nor a parish that says “Catholic”.
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I think that is very uncommon here in the U.K where most of the Catholics are drawn from Irish immigrant stock and sectarian violence in Ulster has led to a wide gap between Protestants and Catholics. It might be more common in rural areas that have not seen much immigration from Ireland.
 
I like to say “Mind your own business”, very respectfully of course to Cardinal Kasper…
 
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