Rome and the Anglicans

[Non Sequitur]

Vatican Makes It Easier for Anglicans to Convert
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican announced surprise plans Tuesday to make it easier for Anglicans to convert, reaching out to those who are disaffected by the election of female and gay bishops to join the Catholic Church's conservative ranks.

Pope Benedict XVI approved a new church provision that will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining many of their distinctive spiritual and liturgical traditions, including married priests, Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican's chief doctrinal official, told a news conference.

In the past, such exemptions had only been granted in a few cases in certain countries. The new church provision is designed to allow Anglicans around the world to access a new church entity if they want to convert.

here is the rest of the article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125604916994796545.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStor ies). I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, the Anglican church is a theological mess. They have basically forsaken sound theology (especially the Episcopal Church here in the US), but the thought of the Catholic Church growing more conservative is unnerving to me. Pope Benedict is systematically undoing the gains in Protestant-Catholic relations that have been made in the last 40 years. Thoughts?

[Michael]

here is the rest of the article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125604916994796545.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStor ies). I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, the Anglican church is a theological mess. They have basically forsaken sound theology (especially the Episcopal Church here in the US), but the thought of the Catholic Church growing more conservative is unnerving to me. Pope Benedict is systematically undoing the gains in Protestant-Catholic relations that have been made in the last 40 years. Thoughts?

I can't say this is much of a surprise. Pope Benedict indicated that he wanted to be seen as a 'conservative' Pope and that's exactly what he is.

Lets just say that when churches start seeing other denominations as a opportunity to grow their own numbers, all churches are in very deep trouble.

This decision strikes me as a "shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic" type of policy. The rank hypocrisy of the RCC is also troubling, but again, not particularly surprising or unexpected.

Once again, institutionalized religion seems more concerned with preserving their dying forms than dealing with the fact of their increasing irrelevance.

I should think the Pope ought to be more concerned with the fact that increasingly, educated people rarely consider his words even worth listening to, let alone following them. Religions that are becoming almost entirely dependent upon ignorant and illiterate followers are not well placed to preach about knowledge. :shrug:

Like I said, shuffling deckchairs. Not much concern here for anyone other than the faithful and they all must be sad at such news of such blantant 'gamesmanship' from the RCC.

Of course, being an atheist, I tend to be rather biased and perhaps jaded about institutionalized religion. ;)