Anglican AND Catholic

I have to admit that when Pope Benedict announced the establishment of Anglican Ordinariates I was excited. After all, the Anglican Communion has her issues. However, as time went on and more information was released about how these ordinariates would be ordered, my hope faded. You see, I was under the naive impression that this action as aiming at restored communion between Anglicans and Romans. As it turns out, the Ordinariate seems to be just an expansion of the Pastoral provision that was already in place. Now, with the announcement of the U.S. Ordinariate, Anglo-Catholics have an opportunity. For what? Conversion. Every time I read the word in this context, my heart sinks. And it seemed like we were so close to genuine unity. I understand that there are a number of congregations and clergy who are accepting this "opportunity." So to answer the question before it is asked, no, I will not be one of them.

So how did this happen? How could we seem so close to unity and then flinch, and step back to the "safety" of the status quo? I cannot answer for Rome, But I can answer for myself, and probably many Anglican brothers and sisters. Anglo-Catholics, such as myself, are not "wanna be" Roman Catholics. We are Anglican Catholics. We desire unity in the Body of Christ as Anglicans. If we really believed that the Rome Catholic church was the ONLY true expression of the Church, we would have had opportunity to "convert" a long time ago. However, to "convert" would demand a level of dishonesty that I cannot tolerate. It's as if we are to say, "Well let's pretend my confirmation, my ordination, and every mass I ever said, every absolution I ever pronounced, was invalid. Oh, and by the way, I'll be allowed to keep my wife, but I really shouldn't have married, it was a mistake." Seriously? Unity at the cost of integrity? No, Thank you.

Sadly, it seems that the only possibility of restored unity in the Church catholic, rests on the shoulders of the Roman Catholic Church. She must recognize as valid the other catholic jurisdictions, such as Anglican and Eastern Orthodox. Unfortunately, that would mean overturning her belief in the universal jurisdiction of the Pope, and, amending decisions and edicts of prior popes. Pope Benedict could do this, but will he?

What does lie on our shoulders, is for Anglo-Catholics to get our own house in order. Maybe we were hoping that Brother Rome could help us sort out our differences. Well that didn't work, so lets get back to the table. How dare we point our finger at Rome, while there is not visible unity between us? It is well past time for unity among the "alphabet soup" of Anglo Catholicism.