ARCIC and the Apostolic Constitution

December 14, 2009
Fr. John Hunwicke

ARCIC and the Apostolic Constitution
Archbishop Rowan didn't - despite the claims of his critics - call the ecclesiology of Anglicanorum Coetibus eccentric. He suggested that there are others who might say it. A characteristically elegant dodge; not as crude as Cicero's favourite, praeteritio ("I forebear to say that my opponent is a proved embezzler and paederast; let me simply ..."). Is there a techical name in Rhetoric for "Others may say X "? Is it the same device as "You may say that, Matty; I couldn't possibly comment"?

His Grace has a point. The ecclesiology of AC does diverge from the norms to which we are accustomed and which he himself has lucidly expounded: that a "local church" is not a denomination or a province but bishop-and-presbytery-and-diaconate-and laos. Perhaps his words indicate that he is going to make one last herculean effort to secure just such an uneccentric provision for us from General Synod. If he is, all power to his elbow. If the Westminster monsignori do succeed in sabotaging the Holy Father's initiative, we could need something to fall back on. Mind you, I devoutly hope not ...

Where Rowan fails is in not taking account of some aspects of the exercise of Primacy. This was well set out in The Gift of Authority (ARCIC 1999). "We envisage a primacy that will even now help to uphold the legitimate diversity of traditions, strengthening and safeguarding them in fidelity to the Gospel ... This sort of primacy will already assist the Church on earth to be the authentic catholic Koinonia in which unity does not curtail diversity ... Such a universal primate ... will promote the common good in ways that are not constrained by sectional interests ..."

Such an understanding of primacy implies primatial intervention to protect diversity which is under threat...

Read the rest at Liturgical Notes

A first reaction to today's publication of Anglicanorum Coetibus

Nov 9, 2009

The Chairman of Forward in Faith, Bishop John Broadhurst, has issued the following interim statement to those clergy who look to him, as Bishop of Fulham, for episcopal care at the present time and he is happy to share it with the membership of Forward in Faith worldwide.

I had thought the original notice from Rome was extremely generous. Today all the accompanying papers have been published and they are extremely impressive. I have been horrified that the Church of England while trying to accommodate us has consistently said we cannot have the jurisdiction and independent life that most of us feel we need to continue on our Christian pilgrimage.

What Rome has done is offer exactly what the Church of England has refused...

Read the rest at the web site of Forward in Faith-UK.

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller, reporting for Virtue Online

The reward of patience...

On his blog "Atonement Online", Fr. Christopher Phillips writes about the importance of jurisdiction for the growth of the Anglican Use within the Catholic Church:

The Apostolic Consitution builds a sturdy and wide bridge for Anglican converts. To think that they can enter the Catholic Church into a jurisdiction expressly created for them! Those of us who were making the move a generation ago could only dream of such a thing. In fact, I can remember in the very early years (when I was young, somewhat naive and politically unsophisticated) I suggested to a certain member of the Catholic hierarchy that perhaps we should ask for our own jurisdiction. After the hoots of incredulity stopped echoing in the room, I was told, "It'll never happen, and it would be insulting to ask!" But I never stopped thinking about the importance of jurisdiction...

You can read the rest at "Atonement Online".