The first principle of the Ordinariate is then about Christian unity. St. Basil the Great, the Church’s greatest ecumenist, literally expended his life on the work of building bridges between orthodox brethren who shared a common faith, but who had become separated from one another in a Church badly fragmented by heresy and controversy. He taught that the work of Christian unity requires deliberate and ceaseless effort...St. Basil often talked with yearning about the archaia agape, the ancient love of the apostolic community, so rarely seen in the Church of his day. This love, he taught, is a visible sign that the Holy Spirit is indeed present and active, and it is absolutely essential for the health of the Church.

- Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, Homily on the Occasion of his Formal Institution as Ordinary

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sandro Magister on Cardinal Kasper’s Interview

Vaticanista Sandro Magister shares his take on Cardinal Kasper’s recent interview with L’Osservatore Romano.
I must admit that I am quite surprised that Mr. Magister is evidently ignorant of the liturgical forms that will be authorized in the new ordinariates.
The new ordinariates will be characterized by the preservation of the Anglican rite for the Mass and the other sacraments – with liturgical books that were approved for the United States in the 1980’s by the Vatican congregation for divine worship – and by the possibility of having married priests.

It should be obvious to even the casual observer that the Book of Divine Worship authorized for use in the communities of the existing Pastoral Provision in the USA would not be suitable for Anglican ordinariates outside of the United States. Indeed, there would be much resistance on the part of Continuing Anglican groups in the USA (who either use the Anglican/American Missal, the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer, or some hybrid of the two) to using this book. Truth be told, many in the current Anglican Use view the compromise BODW (which is based on the 1979 American BCP with additions from the modern Roman Rite) as less than ideal...

Read the rest at The Anglo-Catholic blog.

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