Are Catholic and Anglican Bishops Holding Secret Meetings to Overthrow Liberal Churches?
Wednesday 9th July 2008
Anglican websites and papers like the Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald are reporting that Anglican leaders have held secret talks with top Vatican officials in an effort to form a union to break up Anglican efforts to allow gay marriage and female
priests.
Pope Benedict XVI
Advisers to Pope Benedict XVI are thought to have met with several Anglican Bishops in York over the weekend without the knowledge of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The talks, which could help form a significant historical union against liberalisation within the Anglican Church, will be a blow to Archbishop Rowan Williams’ waning authority as he attempts to prevent an outright schism over homosexuality.
The discussions allegedly included conservative bishops unhappy with the liberalisation of church policy in recent years. They allegedly met with the Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the historical successors to the inquisition and staunch conservative religious leaders.
Although the Anglican and Catholic representatives likely worked together against the ordination of female priests, the general Church in Britain voted to allow females to become clergy on Tuesday. Hundreds of clergymen have threatened to leave the Church over the issue unless special “female clergy free” zones are created.
Meetings with the Vatican signal a backlash by conservative ministers, who fear the Church of England is becoming as liberal as the American church, which recently ordained openly gay bishop Eugene Robinson. The Telegraph reported one anonymous bishop as saying: "Those of us who hold to traditional orthodoxy are very concerned about the direction it seems to be moving in."
There is now a new fear that conservative clergy will defect towards the more conservative Catholic Church. Another bishop quoted by the Telegraph said: "The internal pressure of the Anglican communion has pushed us apart and we're committed to greater unity with Rome. There can be no future for Christianity in Europe without Rome."
Pope Benedict has expressed a desire to embrace conservative Anglicans in the past, supporting groups that protested Robinson’s appointment as bishop. Some Anglican clergy are even allowed to keep their wives if they defect to the Catholic Church.
Do you want to write for Pinke? We're looking for writers all over the world to write about the gay issues that matter around the globe. We're particularly looking for travel writers and writers in Asia/Africa/the Middle East, but we'll consider anyone with great writing skills and an interest in the subject. Email Pinke editor Robert Knox for more information.
priests.
Pope Benedict XVI
Advisers to Pope Benedict XVI are thought to have met with several Anglican Bishops in York over the weekend without the knowledge of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The talks, which could help form a significant historical union against liberalisation within the Anglican Church, will be a blow to Archbishop Rowan Williams’ waning authority as he attempts to prevent an outright schism over homosexuality.
The discussions allegedly included conservative bishops unhappy with the liberalisation of church policy in recent years. They allegedly met with the Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the historical successors to the inquisition and staunch conservative religious leaders.
Although the Anglican and Catholic representatives likely worked together against the ordination of female priests, the general Church in Britain voted to allow females to become clergy on Tuesday. Hundreds of clergymen have threatened to leave the Church over the issue unless special “female clergy free” zones are created.
Meetings with the Vatican signal a backlash by conservative ministers, who fear the Church of England is becoming as liberal as the American church, which recently ordained openly gay bishop Eugene Robinson. The Telegraph reported one anonymous bishop as saying: "Those of us who hold to traditional orthodoxy are very concerned about the direction it seems to be moving in."
There is now a new fear that conservative clergy will defect towards the more conservative Catholic Church. Another bishop quoted by the Telegraph said: "The internal pressure of the Anglican communion has pushed us apart and we're committed to greater unity with Rome. There can be no future for Christianity in Europe without Rome."
Pope Benedict has expressed a desire to embrace conservative Anglicans in the past, supporting groups that protested Robinson’s appointment as bishop. Some Anglican clergy are even allowed to keep their wives if they defect to the Catholic Church.
Do you want to write for Pinke? We're looking for writers all over the world to write about the gay issues that matter around the globe. We're particularly looking for travel writers and writers in Asia/Africa/the Middle East, but we'll consider anyone with great writing skills and an interest in the subject. Email Pinke editor Robert Knox for more information.
