Tuesday, May 10, 2011

As expected

I received the heads up on this last night vie email, and then was alerted by David Virtue. First, here is the news as presented on Virtue Online. Afterward, I will offer a few thoughts.-Fr. Hart


OTTAWA: Pope's Offer of Ordinariate put 'on hold', says ACCC leader 
Almost no Canadian parishes prepared to take plunge, VOL told

By David W. Virtue 
http://www.virtueonline.org/
May 9, 2011


An offer by Pope Benedict XVI of a personal ordinariate for North American Anglicans looking for "corporate reunion" with the Roman Catholic Church while also preserving elements of a distinctive Anglican patrimony is "on hold", sources have told VOL.

A Deacon who attended Mass last Sunday at The Cathedral Parish of the Annunciation, Ottawa, a constituent Member of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) and the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), heard Suffragan Bishop & Rector, The Rt. Rev. Carl Reid say that Rome has placed the matter of Ordinariates and dialogue concerning same "on hold" until further notice.

This was stated preceding the sermon delivered by Bishop Carl Reid.


The source told VOL, "I believe the information he imparted came from the Church of Rome. Apparently it was so 'hot off the presses' that the reflections of the TAC Primate were not yet known. The long and the short of it seems to be that the impression is that the entire project is 'dead in the water'." 
 

There are several reasons for this, but almost no Canadian parishes have stepped up to take the plunge, VOL has been told.

In July 2010 in Surrey, BC, the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada voted overwhelmingly to unite with Rome. At that time, the ACCC voted to establish a Canadian Anglican Catholic Ordinariate.

Present on that occasion was the Canadian House of Bishops (Bishop Peter Wilkinson, Metropolitan and Bishop Ordinary; Bishop Craig Botterill, Suffragan for Atlantic Canada and Chancellor; Bishop Carl Reid, Suffragan for Central Canada and Apostolic Commissary; Bishop Robert Mercer, Assistant Bishop; along with the TAC Primate, Archbishop John Hepworth); eighteen members of the House of Clergy; and thirty members of the House of Laity; together with a number of observers and guests. 

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Can it be that the Hepworth spin has made this necessary? Is it also due to the relatively small amount of interest that has been expressed? It is likely that the combination has led to Rome's decision to put their new constitution "on hold." 

One source sent me this via email

"I imagine that within a day or two, some misleading article will appear somewhere written by or on behalf of John Hepworth, wherein some last ditch ray of hope for the fulfillment of his pipe dreams will be presented. You may deduce that I'm not positively impressed by the man (i.e. Archbishop Hepworth). It might be worth the effort to have a look at the websites of the three ACA bishops who repented of their original commitment to rush their people headlong into Rome at Hepworth's behest. News of their retraction was 'hot off the presses' at the time of the last ACCC Synod, which resulted in a lot of ill tempered anti-American invective on the part of Hepworth during the Synod. Said three bishops very likely received the same communication from Rome to which Carl Reid referred yesterday morning."

VOL has been told that a letter will soon be issued to all Canadian clergy stating, in effect, that the Ordinariate is being put "on hold" indefinitely.

4 comments:

AFS1970 said...

I can not imagine that this hold is in response to only a small number coming over to Rom. Rome has always been willing to take individuals before, so why should now be any different?

I wonder if this hold will be across all of North America, or just in Canada? Did something happen in the fledgling ordinariate in England that brought about this hold? Did something happen in the U.S. or Canada?

I doubt we will ever know the true cause unless Rome shares it with us, and they are certainly under no obligation to do so. However this could lead to some awkwardness within the ACCC and the ACA with those that thought they were leaving any day now, suddenly finding themselves remaining in place indefinitely among those they were abut to split from.

I hope this does not further split the continuum. We have too much of that already.

Colin Chattan said...

Well, as my Scottish ancestors would have said, this certainly will set "the de'il amang the tailors"!

What will the TAC Canadians do now? If they truly believe that there's "nulla salus" outside communion with the Bishop of Rome, then surely they must walk over to the nearest Roman parish and convert, Vatican Rag, priest as bartender, and all, without a moment's delay. The basic premise of "Anglicanorum Coetibus" was preposterous anyway: why, in all logic, would one imperil one's salvation by delaying conversion for one second in the hope of being allowed to worship in Elizabethan English?

If on the other hand they see communion with the Pope as desirable but not necessary, then I hope that they will re-embrace traditional Anglicanism and return to us in the St. Louis Churches where they will receive a joyous welcome home!

charles said...

I'm actually very sad for the Anglo-papists. They have no place to rest, and they likely won't be any more happy returning to an Anglican communion. So, where and what will these folks do? I hope they keep their discontent to themselves, and maybe the best thing to do is just start attending a local Roman church, asking the parish priest if the Anglican-Use or Tridentine Mass can be given on occasion.

Anonymous said...

The ever elusive magic of the Ordinariate had been elevated to mythical status - much like the Loch Ness monster.

Many alleged sightings, but no concrete evidence ..............

The time has come for the TAC Archbishop to clear up all the confusion and misinformation. He has a responsibility towards the whole of the Anglican Communion to make sure that not one further soul is lost to Christianity as a result of his flirting with the truth.

The letter as sent by him to the Canadian clergy and others should be published in the open domain for all to take cognisance of.