Vatican Overture to Anglicans

The lead story in The New York Times this morning is titled, “Vatican Bidding to Get Anglicans to Join Its Fold.” It describes a new Vatican initiative to make it easier for Anglicans to join the Catholic church and was viewed as an effort to attract new members among Anglicans who opposed their church’s liberal theology, especially regarding the ordination of women and gay priests.

The attempt was described as especially powerful regarding the Anglican Church in Great Britain where there are 26 million members. The Vatican’s announcement set up a formal structure to streamline conversions that had previously been considered on a case-by-case basis. Historically, the Anglican Church had split from the Catholic Church during the Reformation in the 16th century concerning theological differences including the primacy of the Pope.

The overture was a continuation of past attempts at unity including the ability for married Anglican priests to convert and become Catholic priests. However, married Anglican priests were forbidden from becoming bishops.

The New York Times article also mentioned some problems with the overture including ownership of property for wholesale conversions and the ability for large numbers of married Anglican priests to become Catholic priests while Catholic priests were forbidden to marry.

As a devoted member of an Assembly of God Church, a Pentecostal Protestant denomination, I hesitate to comment on this article other than to note, on an individual basis, it is our relationship with Jesus that matters most.