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The comments continued.
The comments continued.
Quote:..Judith KrumDeland, Florida
..Back in the early 1970's, a man came to the office of the Episcopal Church in Bennington, VT, and asked for directions to the "Catholic Church." The rector, a former RAF pilot, drew up his stature and replied in his pristine British English, "My good man, this is the Catholic Church." That about sums it up.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:51 a.m.3
..Ed SchwartzreichWaterbury, VT
..Yes, and those of us who want to get closer to the original true Christianity will leave the Roman Catholic Church for one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, as these predate the East-West schism out of which the RCC was created. Or we can create / join a sect which seems closest to what we imagine true Christian worship really means.
And then we all can live in our gated religious communities.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:51 a.m.
..dee New York
..What an excellent example of unification efforts across denominations. At the same time, the Holy Spirit is at work in other ways. For example, I am a member of a small Christian community that welcomes the gifts of every person no matter one's gender, age, ethnicity or Christian tradition. What a wonderful manifestation of the blossoming of Christ's way,truth and life!
Many disaffected Christians who are tired of the fear and power tactics of their former denominations have found comfort and peace in these new communities.
At the same time, the focus is on following Christ as a model of love in action. So many good things are happening as members focus on community needs and social justice.
Finally, we meet in homes,fire halls and community centers. Thus, our communities are not building a real estate empire but rather relationships.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:50 a.m.
..TRSaint Paul, MN
..Conservative Angkicans who "flee" to the Catholic Church will be surely disappointed to discover they have no refuge with us. We Catholics will not put up with the anti-women and anti-gay stances of the Catholic hierarchy any more than their own Anglican family would countenance it.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:48 a.m.5
..TedShow Low, AZ
..Married priests. It's about time. All you have to do is join the Episcopal Church, get married and then become a Catholic. Perfect.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:46 a.m.6
..Jack New Jersey
..Actually, there was a time when the RC Church was moving in a more liberal direction -- in the 60's following Vatican II. If they had stayed on that trajectory, they _might_ have loosened celibacy rules more broadly by now; maybe even considered ordaining women, though I doubt they would have yet come to the more inclusive stance of the Episcopal Church for GLBT folk. That's been a slow and hard enough struggle for us Episcopalians, and being a much larger and more rigid institution, the RC Church inevitably changes more slowly.
Sadly, a string of conservative popes, of whom Benedict is the most recent, stopped the liberalizing trends in the RC Church and have then reversed that movement. It is hard to believe that they might return to that trend in the foreseeable future.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:41 a.m.7
..TimMaine
..Note to the reporter, Erik Eckholm. I know every reporter wants his story to appear truly significant, but what if that one sentence in the middle of your story had not used the word "more" three (!) times, but had instead read--equally truthfully--"So far, "fewer than 120 priests and groups totalling less that 1,400 including six congregations of fewer than 100, have asked to join..." ? It would kind of temper your obvious view that the story is of great consequence, but give it a little more balance. In fact had you asked Canon Robertson for some estimates on his point of Catholics becoming Episcopalians, or done some independent reporting on this, I suspect you'd find that the "new home" being offered is vastly more significant in the other direction.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.7
..Mouse Woman of the Northwest CoastWashington State
..The converse is also true--the Episcopal Church welcomes disillusioned Catholics who have had it with homophobia, misogyny, authoritarianism, cover-ups of criminal activity, intrusion into personal conscience, and the ever-growing lack of respect for our Constitutional separation of church and state.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.15
..Ed BurkeLong Island, NY
..The common ignorance is the Catholic Church is ruled by the Pope, it is not. The Catholic Church began 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ said to Saint Peter and no one else, "Thou Art Peter and Upon This Rock, (meaning Peter) I shall build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it ."(meaning His one church teachings will never be wrong, never fall into apostasy). Notice Jesus also did NOT say churches, no plural. Only ONE church, not the 33,000 different 'Faith Commumities' now calling themselves 'Christian" in just the U.S. alone.
Then Jesus gives His One & only church a leader, an 'Office', to be passed down, and the authority of that leader is found in Jesus telling him this next statement, " I will give you (St. Peter) the Keys (a term used throughout scripture to denote an office)To The Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you (holder of this office ) bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." So on issues realting to faith, and morals the final arbiter is the person currently holding this awesome power. So yes there are fallible, often stupid, often weak, often sinful men in that church, and even a few popes,yet the promise has never and will never be broken because Jesus is God, a fact made clear in what Jesus did and said while on earth ("Before Abraham came to be, I AM")Christ rules His Church, and He uses the popes,265 so far, to accomplish this.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.4
..Chris Dudley Maryland
..Discernment of God's will for the Episcopal Church has a democratic component since decisions are taken by the Convention. And, the congregations have strong representation at Convention. But the process is still prayerful discernment. Because of this, I've always supported sending our most conservative members to Convention because they are the ones who must wrestle most deeply with the changes to Church tradition that a calling to Christian love seems to require.
For some, though, participation in democratic process cannot persuade of the outcome. It is a blessing therefore that an non-democratic residual remains as a temporary refuge for them. Rome's acceptance of married converted clergy for some time now has meant that change is coming for the Catholic Church too. It is good that the Episcopal Church can lead the way so that the brittleness of the Catholic hierarchy, which caused so much physical hardship when it shattered in the Reformation, might be eased.
Deep down in the Christian message is the idea that God's Law is fulfilled, not reformed. And, it is the role of love to bring about that fulfillment. This Episcopal salient into the Catholic structure, born out of deep and wrenching contemplation, may play an important future role in that fulfillment.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.3
..Rankin FyleAtlanta
..As long as you are a conservative you are welcome in the Catholic Church.
Pathetic.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.3
..UtahrebFort Mohave, AZ
..First thought - money, money, money, money - more members, more money.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.2
..hezekiah Oklahoma City
..As an Episcopalian let me say, that the Vatican should have taken a closer look at us Anglicans prior to allowing some of us in. Between 600 and 400 years ago, this kind of thing when on in Europe all the time both ways. I don't think the "divorces, remarriages" went easily.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.
..Reese S. RickardsFruitland, Maryland
..The article quotes a former Episcopalian, now Roman Catholic priest, saying, ââ¬ÅThis is not an effort at poaching or sheep-stealing.ââ¬Â That said, if the Episcopal Church begins to actively recruit disaffected Catholics, say divorced people who are excommunicated, then that won't be poaching or sheep-stealing, either. As it is already there are precious few Episcopal congregations without a number of former Roman Catholics as members. And the Episcopal Church hasn't even been trying to tell them about itself.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.2
..McCoo Bergen County NJ
..Misogynist and hypocritical it certainly is. Disaffected Anglicans weren't thinking about crossing the Tiber back in the 1970s, when Episcopalians first ordained women, nor in the '90s, when Anglicans approved of the ordinations. Not until there were women bishops did conservative male priests realize that a woman might actually have authority over them. THEN the men decided to walk across those storm-tossed waters of the culture wars toward the Vatican. It's about keeping authority-- and power-- in the hands of males. But that's not what Christianity is about. Episcopalians can thank God that the young seminarians GL6 mentions, who mistake their right-wing political orientation for a divine call to the priesthood, will not be seeking places in Episcopalian churches.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.8
..ChrisNJ
..Lost in this story is any mention of the many former Catholics who, like myself, have joined the Episcopalian Church because of our opposition to the exclusion of women as priests, our belief that birth control and homosexuality are not sins, and, of course, the sexual abuse of children and subsequent cover-up by Church authorities. I suspect many more people have left the Catholic Church than are joining.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.8
..PeterSan Francisco
..Eastern Rite Catholic Churches in communion with the Roman Catholic Church have long had married priests. This has been the case with the Ukrainian Catholic Church since the 16th century. This was not done as "an act of generosity" but rather an act of Realpolitik. Rome can be flexible--at first--when embracing new communities but beware. The new Episcopalian Catholics will have to be eternally alert and vigilant in defending their identity in their new home. Future popes and Curias may "reinterpret" agreements in efforts to fully assimilate the newcomers. The Eastern Rite Churches have had to vigorously defend their interests over the centuries and this new community of American Catholics will have to learn to do the same.
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.4
..FrankLewis
..Does anyone see this differently in that it may actually be the first step taken by the Catholic Church to eventually, fully allow married priests and current priests to marry? I'm not saying this will happen right away....probably many years from now...but I do think it starts to (more easily*) pave the way for Rome to make the needed/radical change in this direction...if for nothing else, to self-preserve Catholicism as a viable religion in the future. Just a thought.
*something like "For x years we have welcomed and allowed former Episcopal priests to remain married and we now extend that to current and future RC priests"
Jan. 3, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.
..KRT186 San Francisco
..To our departing brothers and sisters: don't let the (red) door hit you on the way out. And when you want to return -- as many of you will -- use the same one. The Episcopal Church Welcomes All.