Church of England’s Impending Ordination of Women Bishops Poses Ecumenical Challenge

The Pope and the archbishop of Canterbury emphasized areas where their churches can work together when they met last month, but progress towards future unity appears blocked.

Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury joins a crowd of hundreds of Church of England women priests on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, prior to a special service on May 3 celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ordination of women.

Meeting of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis

In a sign of the current good relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, the meeting at the Vatican on June 16 between Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was warm — but clouds still loom over the prospect of any unity between the two churches in the foreseeable future.

Pope Francis emphasized the ways in which Catholics and Anglicans can work together, highlighting “the effort to achieve greater social justice, to build an economic system that is at the service of man and promotes the common good. Among our tasks as witnesses to the love of Christ is that of giving a voice to the cry of the poor, so that they are not abandoned to the laws of an economy that seems at times to treat people as mere consumers.”

These sentiments were echoed by Archbishop Welby, who said Christians must “love, above all, those tossed aside — even whole nations — by the present crises around the world.”

Yet unspoken was a decision the Church of England is expected to take this month that would seriously damage the prospect of any future unity between the Catholic Church and the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

It is a near certainty that the Church of England’s General Synod, taking place in York July 11-15, will see the Anglicans push ahead with the creation of women bishops.

During his tenure as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper commented in 2006 that such a move would “call into question what was recognized by the Second Vatican Council (Unitatis Redintegratio, 13), that the Anglican Communion occupied ‘a special place’ among churches and ecclesial communities of the West.” Cardinal Kasper warned that “restoration of full church communion … would realistically no longer exist following the introduction of the ordination of women to episcopal office.”

Speaking to the Register, Father Tony Currer, secretary to the Anglican and Methodist dialogues at the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said that while the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) has made great strides in addressing theological differences, two issues have emerged “which make progress towards full visible unity extremely difficult.”

“The first concerns the ordination of women; the second is that of human sexuality and ethical teaching,” he commented. “It has to be admitted that it is extremely difficult to see a way forward on these issues at the moment.”

Father Currer added that the Church’s dialogue is with the whole Anglican Communion, not only the Church of England. Many elements of that communion are acting similarly to the Church of England on these issues, he said, “which constitutes a very significant obstacle to the full visible unity that we continue to seek.”



Anglican Perspective

Serenhedd James, visiting tutor in ecclesiastical history at the University of Oxford’s St. Stephen’s House — an Anglican theological foundation in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England — told the Register, “The admission of women to the historic episcopate in the Church of England will, no doubt, make ecumenical conversations more difficult.”

He noted the same caveat as Father Currer: that women bishops already minister elsewhere in the Anglican Communion, but maintained that the Church of England’s move will not necessarily derail the ecumenical dialogue, “although it may make it harder to find common ground on sacramental issues, especially as those women then begin to ordain others.”

Instead, James said he saw more significant problems likely to emerge over moral issues. Although he said there is “a good deal of common ground” between Catholics and Anglicans, he commented that “it is no secret that there is dissent in the Church of England on a number of issues among members of both clergy and laity — most recently and vocally on the matter of same-sex marriage — and Rome knows this.”

He added, “Should the House of Bishops at some point in the future depart from traditional church teaching on the dignity of human life — for example on issues like abortion on demand and euthanasia — then that would no doubt be viewed as a problem.”



Areas of Shared Commitment

Nevertheless, all involved in such ecumenical discussions are keen to stress that the likely episcopal ordination of women does not mean a total breakdown in relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Professor Paul Murray, dean of Durham University’s Center for Catholic Studies, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to ARCIC and as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told the Register that Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby “share a passionate commitment to the social gospel in the face of such contemporary issues as human trafficking.”

He added, “With Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby, the Catholic and Anglican communions are both blessed with charismatic evangelists. Even recognizing the significant theological and ecclesial difficulties that continue between the traditions around such sensitive matters as ordained female ministry, this represents the most remarkable moment of opportunity for real progress in the relations between Catholicism and Anglicanism.”

James, who is also a regular contributor to the Anglican newspaper Church Times, concurred. “It’s clear that the two churches are willing to work together on domestic issues: the eradication of poverty, to take one example. The image of the cardinal-archbishop of Westminster standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the archbishop of Canterbury on social issues is a powerful one.”

Other areas where the two churches are already working together are in attempts to tackle human trafficking and campaigning for freedom of worship in the face of religious extremism.

Thus, although the ordination of women bishops in the Church of England may prove an insurmountable hurdle to full reunion, a future relationship based on practical cooperation remains. It may not be a fully corporate union, but the potential for working together as a united Christian voice in an indifferent, sometimes hostile, secular environment is significant, according to participants in the Catholic-Anglican dialogue.

Said Father Currer, “We are committed to continue to talk to one another and to explore our differences in charity. To do anything else would be to give up on Christian unity and to allow ourselves to simply grow apart. As St. Pope John Paul II taught in Ut Unum Sint, this is not a legitimate option for a Christian, because ‘to believe in Christ means to desire unity.’”

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Another Satanic Mass ! Archbishop Coakley Asks Oklahoma City Civic Center to Reconsider Black Mass

OKLAHOMA CITY — Just a few months after a black mass reenactment was planned — and then canceled — at Harvard University, another has been scheduled to take place at the Oklahoma City Civic Center on Sept. 21, prompting calls for organizers to reconsider.

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City issued a statement July 1, saying that the archdiocese is “astonished and grieved that the Civic Center would promote as entertainment and sell tickets for an event that is very transparently a blasphemous mockery of the Mass.”

“For more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide and more than 200,000 Catholics in Oklahoma, the Mass is the most sacred of religious rituals,” the archbishop said.

“It is the center of Catholic worship and celebrates Jesus Christ’s redemption of the world by his death and resurrection. In particular, the Eucharist — which we believe to be the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ — is the source and summit of our faith.”

Connected to witchcraft and demonic worship, a black mass is a sacrilegious ceremony structured as a parody of the Catholic Mass. Invoking Satan, the ritual is centered around the desecration of the Eucharist, which is generally done by stealing a consecrated host from a Catholic church and using it in a profane sexual ritual or defecating and urinating on it.

The black mass is offensive to more than just Catholics, Archbishop Coakley noted. It is “a Satanic inversion and distortion of the most sacred beliefs not only of Catholics, but of all Christians.”

He called on community leaders and Civic Center event planners in “a spirit of hope,” asking them to “reconsider whether this is an appropriate use of public space.”

“We trust that community leaders — and, in particular, the board members of the Oklahoma City Civic Center — do not actually wish to enable or encourage such a flagrantly inflammatory event and can surely remedy this situation,” he said.

In May, a student group at Harvard attempted to host a black mass re-enactment, to be carried out by the Satanic Temple of New York. However, the event was canceled at the last minute amid a huge outcry from the Archdiocese of Boston and the Harvard community. A petition against the black mass drew 60,000 signatures, and some 2,000 people attended a Eucharistic procession and Holy Hour on the night that the event had been scheduled.

Notably, the Satanic Temple of New York has submitted plans to Oklahoma City for a public monument of an enthroned Satan surrounded by two children to counter a monument of the Ten Commandments on the statehouse lawn.

The local archdiocese plans to respond in peaceful, prayerful and respectful protest to the black mass scheduled in September, should plans continue to move forward, Archbishop Coakley said.

“In the meantime, I call on all Catholics in central and western Oklahoma — as well as all men and women of goodwill — to pray for a renewed sense of the sacred and, in particular, to pray that the Lord might change the hearts and minds of the organizers of this event.”

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Sex, Sex and More Sex, can one be free?

An old friend of mine could not understand how a human being can survive without sex. Considering i was undergoing my first process of initial conversion he said "I really want to change for good, but the problem is, i cannot stop sex"

My words prove little help to him as in his heart he believed it was impossible to break free.

Years into my formation, i began speaking with people who had similar belief and i discovered that majority of the youth with ample sexual engagement had the same belief.

Then i realized the trick of the enemy : he makes people depend so much on sin that it seems impossible to live without it. But really, is it possible that YOU, yes, YOU can give up a sin you are so attached to? Be it sex, stealing, lying, drug, or any other sin?

YES, YOU CAN. However, you must first believe in the power of God; you must trust in God's ability to free you. I too was delivered from a life of sinful addictions. Indeed, i still sin, but i no longer relax in sin, i have begun the bloody unending war against all sins without any exceptions. You can also begin yours, it could take time before you begin to see victory, but to me, beginning this war is victory since it meant throwing the devil away from one's life. He will make noise, fight back and threaten, but at least, he will do that from outside your life.

Chastity isn't an outdated virtue, it hold all other virtues together, carefully rooted in humility. I pray for all youth, to learn to live properly, however you need to work your way out of sexual sins, or work hard to remain chaste if you have no attachment to this sin already.

THEN A FOLLOWUP ARTICLE:

After my previous writeup on sex, i have gathered that its very important to give a followup on how to actually quit the life of sexual immorality; keeping oneself until marriage, or at least how to begin to fight the sin. I have prepared a few tips/guidelines for those who are in need of practical steps to quitting sex.

1. The first thing to do is breakup with your partner: Many people who have complained of this sin, and who have failed to become free from it have agreed that one of the reasons is they they fail to breakup with their illicit sexual partner. This is where violence comes in. When it is about your soul and your salvation, its not so bad to hurt someone (as long as you are breaking up to be with Jesus). You cannot keep pitying someone who leads you to sin or who poses great temptation to you. No matter how hard its going to be upon someone, just break free and run. The devil shall use this fake sympathy to keep some people "Chained" to their sexual partners one way or another.

When you have broken free, STAY AWAY ! Sometimes the temptation might come to have a chit chat with him/her, from there you might find yourself becoming weak in your heart again and going back to a life you have left off.

The Devil can also tell you "Just one visit" "Just one phone call" etc. That "One" can ruin everything you have struggled to build in a long time. The reason why you MUST FIGHT this person's image as violently as possible is because you have had a certain "bond" with him/her. Once you are around, your body must respond from your heart at least, this is nature, this is unavoidable chemistry; this could mean serious emotional drive to go back.

2. FILL YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE NEW ! When you have cast out the lover from your heart, you cannot leave it empty, Jesus has to come in and fill that void. If no one fills this void, its hardly possible for it to stay empty for long. Build strong bonds with Jesus and his Mother through prayer and good works. Join pious societies that will help you, have quality friends who will support you in this journey.

3. STAY AWAY FROM BAD FRIENDS: When i say "Bad" i do not mean you should think anyone literally bad. What i mean here is to avoid all those who might influence you to the life you have abandoned. Sometimes their influence over you might be stronger than you can notice, this is why you need to cut off or curtail your relationships with them. Make new and positive friends who discuss God and other positive circular topics.

4. FOR FIANCES: all the advice given above to "quit" and "cut" are mainly for relationships with people who are either not old enough for marriage or who are not ready for it for other reasons. As for those who are already engaged, or men who are seeking a wife: you will not drop dead if your relationship is kept clean. You will be guaranteeing the place of God in your relationship if you let him guide your hearts towards each other for his sake. Reforming a premarital courtship already tainted with sexual habits can be daunting, however it is not impossible. For this is suggest the person talks it over with the partner, let them decide on how to see each other from then on, in public places where they will not be tempted, let them involve God in their chats, in their lives. If the partner agrees, thanks to God, if not, the person in question should weigh his/her options critically, and apply a little more pressure. I strongly advice that when this becomes even harder, the person should meet his/her spiritual guide or confessor or a good Priest.

May the Lord set us free from Sin and show us the beauty there is in holiness. Amen !

Add more practical ways to quit sex if you know any other means, help those who are in need.

WE CAN BE CHASTE !!! YES WE CAN !!!

SHARE !

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