The rationale put forth by
Apostolicae Curae borders on the inane. It declared that “when in England, shortly after it was rent from the center of Christian Unity, a new rite for conferring Holy Orders was publicly introduced under Edward VI, the true Sacrament of Order as instituted by Christ lapsed, and with it the hierarchical succession.” And what was the difference in the Edwardian Rite that deprived the Orders of admittedly validly consecrated bishops from being effective? What was “the defect of form, which defect equally affects all these ordinations” under that Rite?
Hold on to your hats, boys and girls, it was simply this: The Anglican bishop, upon laying hands on the ordinand, said "Receive the Holy Ghost” instead of "“Receive the Holy Ghost for the office and work of a priest.”
That’s it! As if anyone present could have doubted that imploring the reception of the Holy Ghost was for that precise purpose! And based on that omission – based on a failure to recite these “magic words” that no one in his right mind could fail to see were too obvious to need verbal expression – Rome declared the Anglican orders invalid.
This elevation of form over substance is an embarrassment.
The bottom line is that the Catholic Church states, unequivocally, that Anglican attempts at ordination are null and void. End. Finished. Done. Settled.
Sure, Father. And if Pope Leo had declared Anglican Orders void for failure of the bishop to have his mitre on, would you buy into that one too? It doesn’t have to make sense; it only has to emanate from the Holy See!
Well, I’m not drinking the Kool-aid . . .