Monday, October 26, 2009

Brother Christopher makes a good point...

We have been too nice.

Imagine that the Archbishop of Canterbury or our Presiding Bishop offered an ordinariate for Roman Catholics who wanted to practice the Tridentine or Novus Ordo but be Anglican. Rome would be infuriated, accuse us of sheep stealing and the rest. Expect us to back down to maintain good relations and the rest. This has too often been too much a one-way conversation. There are reasons why the Orthodox are wary of Rome in these matters. We shall see how much Anglican, these Anglicans will be allowed to continue being. The Roman model of ecumenical has been absorb and conform. It has too often been the model of the Ecumenical Movement. Bland down our distinctives until we're all the same. That model is now coming, happily, to an end. A new generation of ecumenical existence should not be afraid to tell the Pope "no," to be just as willing to pick up our sticks and leave the playground as the Roman Church at the official level has been since JPII and now Benedict XVI. Don't get me wrong, I love my Roman Catholic friends, but I won't pretend their tradition is somehow less troubled than my own.

Read the whole article here.

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