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Christ is risen!

Below is a wonderful article that filled me with joy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4553951.stm

In Christ,

Michael

Dear Michael,

What a pity that this could not have happened twenty or so years ago, before the Anglican Church fell into so much heresy what with women and then lesbian and homosexual priests.

But then again, no one knows what the future will bring. Maybe I should be saying what the Holy Spirit will bring.

Zenovia

Unfortunately, the Anglicans do not seem to be trying to reverse these trends. They just seem to try to justify it so that everyone is all inclusive. Even the bible is put second or third place, as was evident at the last General Convention of the Episcopal Church of the USA. My only light of hope is that they come to either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, were it seems they hold on stands of doctrine and scripture.

In the Risen Christ,
Father Anthony+

I think any hope for unity would have to be with the conservative Anglican group. The Episcopal church USA holds positions that are not compatible with Catholic doctrine.

Hopefully the Anglican church will finally see it the way we Catholics do. On a somewhat related note, what about the Orthodox Church's stand about the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption? I thought that Orthodox prayers of Mary as sinless practically admits to the Catholic position, yet they keep on denying it.

The Orthodox Church does not in any way say that the Mother of God, the Ever-Virgin Mary is sinless or even comes close to it in prayer. That would mean that she is of the divine nature of God, thus making the supremacy of the Trinity void, for it would be supplanted by additional personages. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Mother of God at any time if she chose, could have fallen to sin and temptation during her life. The church also teaches that she was not free from the sin of our forefathers, as is taught in Catholic Doctrine in the Immaculate Conception. As for the Assumption vs Dormition, I would defer to anyone of my more theologically astute brethren, for the explanation I would have would go on for pages.

In the Risen Christ!
Father Anthony+

"There can be no doubt that she was made pure on the day of the Annunciation when told by Gabriel she was going to be the Virgin Mother of the Messiah."

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia website

This is what I was always taught...

"There can be no doubt that she was made pure on the day of the Annunciation when told by Gabriel she was going to be the Virgin Mother of the Messiah."

(from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia website)

This is what I was always taught...

Also one might look at it as the West concentrating on what she lacks: sin-- and the East concentrating on what she is full of: grace, purity and holiness.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us!

Dear Friends,

A close friend of mine up here who belongs to the Continuing Anglican tradition (Anglican Catholic Church) has told me this week that their hierarchy has voted to enter into Communion with Rome.

I don't have any further details other than their bishops were in Rome and had an audience with Pope Benedict. Three Cardinals, he tells me, have been appointed to discuss the details of their entering Communion with Rome and Arthur, my friend, used the term "Anglican Uniate" in describing what will happen to his group.

He said he and others of his Church are thrilled with the prospect! He said that Pope Benedict "looks like a Pope from the early Church" and said that with all the liberalism going on there is no reason whatever for his Church to delay entering into Communion with Rome!

As Pope St Gregory said of the two Angle slaves he saw in Rome, "Non angli, sed angeli!"

Alex

Dear Orthodox friends,

The Orthodox Church has always held that the Most Holy Mother of God was indeed "All Holy" even at her Conception and it was the East that first established that Feast in the sixth century, I believe.

The issue is really about how we understand Original Sin.

Was the Mother of God outside the order of Original Sin? The Christian East says, "No."

Does this mean she was conceived and born with "sin" on her soul. God forbid that we should hold that view!

And holiness is understood in a dynamic way in the East, so the Mother of God experienced a number of special experiences of being overshadowed by her Spouse, the Holy Spirit (St John of Kronstadt), the Annunciation being one of them, Pentecost another etc.

As the Temple of the All-Holy Trinity and the Ark of the New Covenant Who is OLGS Jesus Christ, the All-Holy Mother of God's experience of the pains of child-birth and death etc. were mitigated by the Grace of God.

Whenever this discussion springs up, I think we all tend to lose sight of the role of how we view Original Sin plays in it and how, consequently, we make statements that are easily misunderstood by others etc.

Alex

Where do I find these Anglican Uniates? I'd be interested in chatting with them...

Yeah we should really sort that out shouldnt we? My view is that the East's patristic emphasis more on Triadology and the West's is more on the salvic economy. Its visible in the heresies sprouted by either Church. In the East they're principally Christological, in the West they're all about the effects of grace and when and how someone is saved. One day we're all going to have sit down and balance the scales together. To a large extent the obsession of some Protestants of whether or not 'you've been saved' is a logical development from the primary focus of Western Theology since the Patristic era. I'd say the continual Christological debates in the East until Nicea II reflect better the attitude of Greek Theology. A Church that breathes with both lungs would create a more rounded way of looking at both Triadology and the salvational economy.

you might try looking up Anglican Catholics on Yahoo. a good friend of mine in Chattanooga has long been involved with the local Anglican Catholic parish here.at one time, he wanted to become an Episcopal priest, but he became divorced,and felt himself disqualified for the Priesthood. as far as "Anglican Uniates" are concerned, besides the fact that the "U" word is directed at Eastern Catholics, there is a problem as far as Anglicans are concerned.
The problem is this: while Rome does have Anglican usage parishes here in the States, it is not a "Rite" per se, as Russians, Ruthenians, etc have "Rites". the Anglican service was developed by committees, therefore it differs from those of us Eastern Catholics. So what may happen is just what I said: Anglican usage parishes in communion with the Holy See. I need to contact my friend and see what this move of Anglican Catholics tounion with Rome is about, but it is intriguing.
Much Love,
Jonn

I occasionally check in on this board just to see what's going on and must confess that every time I see something related to Episcopalians, it usually reeks of venom!

Grow up folks! These splinter groups that you talk about seeking union with Rome are very small indeed.
We're not talking about huge numbers here. If they choose to do this, that's fine with me and they go with my blessing but don't demonize the rest of the church with pap like "women priests", "lesbian and homosexual priests"

......and I find it very difficult to comprehend that ordaining women as priests is heretical.

oh............and let's not forget that the sexual crisis in the RC church and the inability of its bishops to deal with it --- doesn't speak well of you. Perhaps it's time to look into what's going on in your own household.


Peace


Fr. Mike

Bless, Fr. Mike,

Please do not misunderstand us here.

There are problems in all churches, but I think we can say with some objectivity that some Anglican provinces have gone too far in pushing some moral/traditional issues that even other Anglicans have condemned. But we're not here to sort that out, nor are we here to sort out the pedophile issue etc.

The fact is that today there is an Anglican liturgical presence in BOTH the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

I'm looking at this in terms of how this new liturgical presence can be a positive experience for the communicants of both Churches, rather than the negative one in terms of "Oh boy, we're getting them to return one by one - better than nothing!" or something like that.

I know Anglicans, High Church etc. and I don't try and get them to become Catholic. They are the ones who ask me about that matter and I didn't even raise the issue with Arthur until he excitedly told me about it.

I've also read High Anglican texts where the Primacy of Honour of the Pope of Rome is affirmed already.

The current Pope is not interested in bringing anyone "under" him but in "communion with" him, same as the last Pope.

Anglicans were once in full Communion with Rome and so the restoration of such Communion among certain Anglicans should be neither a surprise nor a cause for bitterness.

Ultimately, Fr. Mike, and I think Anglican theologians in general would agree with me, it is the Will of God for all Christians to be in Communion with Rome. How that Communion will appear is something that is beyond me.

Anglicans are not seeking something "new" but are, in fact, restoring an ancient tradition in so doing. Let's remember that devotion to St Peter and the Pope was, at one time, GREATEST in England in the "Ecclesia Anglicana" up until the mutual estrangement between Anglicans and Rome at the time of King Henry VIII.

So I don't believe this matter is one of "poaching" Anglicans and bringing them over to Rome.

The Anglicans I know have come to this decision and have been considering it for a long time.

(I don't know if anyone ever said ordaining women is "heretical" but against the ancient canons of the Church of Christ of the Seven Ecumenical Councils - one need not be heretical in order to be in schism from that Church with her Tradition)

They are the ones who tell me that they can no longer agree with a number of issues that the current Anglican leadership at Canterbury and in their Local Church have introduced - and I've no intention of getting into those. Again, THEY are the ones who tell me/us about them.

And, ultimately, as I've said, it IS the destiny of Anglicanism and Lutheranism and all Protestant Christians to restore their relationship with what once was the focus of Catholic Unity for Christ's Church, the See of Rome.

We don't become any less Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans etc. for so doing.

There is room for all kinds of spiritualities in Christ' Church.

As Shakespeare wrote, "Rome and roome enough!"

Kissing your right hand, I again implore
your blessing,

Alex

Yes, the group is relatively small, about 500,000 worldwide they (the "continuing Anglicans")themselves estimate, and I think it is spearheaded by a group in Australia under an ex-RC bishop.

However, its implication to the worldwide Anglican communion, particularly the national Churches in Africa and Asia, bears watching.

Amado