If you missed the news yesterday, the Vatican is going to allow flocks of Anglo-Catholics to enter the Church of Rome, while retaining elements of their own rites, music and tradition. Some follow-ups and reaction today:
-- The invitation extends to married clergy, so some church-watchers are wondering whether more people in the Roman Catholic Church will begin entertaining the possibility of married Catholic priests.
-- Because of a qualifier in the celibacy clause, some potential converts might be turned off by the idea.
What do you think? Anglican-Catholic conversions aren't new, but could this move hurt relations between the churches?
Reaction from National Catholic Reporter John L. Allen Jr.:
"The news that the Vatican will create special structures for disaffected Anglicans will likely be criticized in some quarters as 'anti-ecumenical,' meaning a blow to good relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church," wrote Allen, author of "The Rise of Benedict XVI.""That's because Anglicans already seem on the brink of schism over issues like women priests (and bishops), gay marriage and the ordination of gay clergy, and now the conservative opposition has a Vatican-sanctioned exit strategy.
"Such criticism, however, tends to presume that the Vatican's choice was between accepting these Anglicans and keeping them at arm's length. In truth, the latter was never a serious option, because Catholicism is in the business of encouraging converts, not spurning them."
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