21 October 2009

Lambeth not happy. . .but why?

Damien Thompson is reporting that Lambeth Palace (the Anglican Vatican) opposed yesterday's generous offer by the Holy Father to take their troublesome traditionalists off their hands. 

I'm not sure why.

It's a win-win for Rome and Canterbury.  Rome gets lots of new, orthodox Catholics, including many extremely well-educated priests.  Canterbury gets rid of one of the many traditionalist thorns digging into its postmodernist skin. 

The only losers in this move by the Holy Father are the left-lib bishops, priests, and institutional dissenters of England & Wales.  There will now be lots of alternatives available to faithful Catholics who are fed up with The Tablet * Church in the U.K.  Catholics who are weary of being told that their Anglican Betters are clearing the path ahead of them toward a Better Roman Church will now have the choice to join a parish that preaches and teaches the Sacred Tradition and not the Latest Thing from the Holy Zeitgeist. 

And since faithful Catholics are the ones actually going to Mass and having kids, it won't take long before all those beautiful buildings we "donated" to Henry VIII and his wives become available. . .assuming, of course, the Church of England doesn't sell them all off to the Muslims as community centers before then.

* The Tablet is the U.K.'s version of America Magazine and the National Catholic Reporter.  Think: Richard McBrien and Joan Chitisster with really posh Brit accents.

10 comments:

  1. Henry VIII was the one with all the wives. Henry VII was his father, Henry Tudor, victor of the Battle of Bosworth Field against Richard III.

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  2. Rosa, thanks...I need new bifocals...these are five years old.

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  3. Anonymous10:32 AM

    Fr. I've been looking for an answer to a question. I was always taught that the Anglican clergy was not validly ordained. So do the convert Anglican clergy have to be ordained in order to be serving faithfully the Catholic Church? Thanks.

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  4. How about we offer Lambeth a straight up trade?

    Their traditionalists for our entire English Catholic episcopate?

    Sounds fair.

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  5. I recall a recent item from the USCCB discouraging trying to persuade other Christians to cross the Tiber. Something about stealing from another's flock.

    Are they going to get their panties in a twist with the Holy Father over this?

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  6. Anon, oh yes...they will join as laymen and be ordained after some classes or exams...

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  7. Hilary,

    Good idea. . .but I'm afraid the C of E KNOW our bishops...

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  8. It was also a direct slap at Cdl. Kasper (who needs the slapping...)

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  9. Subvet, I'm sure some of the Spirit of Vatican Two types will get their knickers in a twist. I imagine His Eminence Cardl. Mahoney is not happy about this. Fortunately, his generation of Protestantizers is slowly going to their reward, so it won't really matter for much longer how twisted their boxers get.

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  10. Anonymous3:32 AM

    On the practical side, I'd imagine that this very good news also eventuates a very complicated process regarding the use of properties (i.e. What [properties] come [back] to Rome? What stays with Canterbury? What are the property arrangements for whatever comes? Who pays what? How much? And on and on and on...)

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