Much ado has been made of the controversy swirling about the Pope prior to his coming visit to the UK. Fire, meet some fuel.
[Telegraph] The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that bishops travelled to the Holy See last week to hold face to face discussions with senior members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the most powerful of the Vatican’s departments.
The Rt Rev John Broadhurst, the Rt Rev Keith Newton and the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, the bishops of Fulham, Richborough and Ebbsfleet respectively, are understood to have informed senior Catholic officials that Church of England clergy are keen to defect to Rome.
It is the first significant response to the Papal offer made last year, which opened the doors for Anglicans to convert while retaining key elements of their tradition.
The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, was unaware of the summit, which is likely to prove embarrassing to the Catholic Church ahead of the Pope’s visit to Britain later this year as it will rekindle fears that it is trying to poach Anglican clergy.
Wow. Damian Thompson adds this interesting little tidbit.
A leading Anglo-Catholic source contacts me this morning naming at least one English Catholic bishop whom he thinks was in Rome for this summit. He confirms that “very few people on our side” (ie, the C of E) knew it was happening. Catholic bishops may have known, and are very unhappy at being bypassed.
Thought the media was out to destroy the Pop’s visit to the UK before? If this happens they will beside themselves.
May 2, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Isn't the whole point of the Ordinariat structure to go around the local, diocesan structure and deal directly with Rome? Maybe I'm missing something.
May 2, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Correct Gil – the CoE bishops desiring to rejoin Rome tend towards the theologically orthodox. The RCC bishops in England tends towards the theologically liberal – and aren't too happy about the former coming in a tilting the balance in the UK.
B16, on the other hand, is a real shepherd and wants to make a home for those who support the faith once delivered to the Apostles.
As for the UK media – they are mostly liberal atheists who hate the Church. The only reason they might tolerate the CoE is because it's in the process of jumping the rails and becoming a liberal gayfest like the media.
Does this make sense?
Doug
May 3, 2010 at 1:42 am
They're just angry that not everybody broadcasts every move that they make to the media like Pres. Obama and PM Brown do
May 3, 2010 at 6:43 am
This is great! People will have to wonder what's so great about the Catholic Church that people are converting in large numbers away from the Church of England. Who knows? Maybe this will spark some genuine curiosity among those only mildly brainwashed by the left!
May 4, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Hahahah! Sarah that's great! Mildly brainwashed! Hahahah! Are there any thinking individuals left on the left? Or are they all running around saying "if I only had a brain…to be washed!" Hahahahhaha!
This is great news. And God's grace will see these brave Bishops through whatever may come. If they are truly in relationship with Christ, they can take on the Coliseum esp. if they receive the Papal blessing first!