Jerusalem (ENI). About 1000 Anglican leaders meeting in Jerusalem have set up a new global network to ward off what they say is a breach of traditional biblical Anglicanism but have stopped short of announcing a total break with the worldwide Anglican Communion. In a final statement issued at the end of the 22-29 June Global Anglican Future Conference, or GAFCON, participants said that, "A major realignment has occurred and will continue to unfold" within Anglicanism. A group of archbishops and bishops mainly from Africa and Australia convened GAFCON. This followed a clash within the 77-million-strong Anglican Communion triggered in 2003, when the US Episcopal (Anglican) Church consecrated V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay divorced father, as a bishop in the US state of New Hampshire. [816 words, ENI-08-0515]
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Conservatives to split -- but only from Episcopal Church
Sunday, 29th June 2008. 6:36am
By: George Conger.
Jerusalem: Conservatives will declare a split from the Episcopal Church but will stop short of schism with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“There will be permanent division, one way or the other,” Dr. Peter Jensen (pictured), the archbishop of Sydney told the media, as the decision by the Episcopal Church to consecrate a practicing homosexual as a bishop in 2003 was “an extraordinary strategic blunder” that had divided the church.
However, the Anglican Communion will continue, the Primate of the Southern Cone, Bishop Gregory Venables of Argentina said. “This is not a shutting of doors. We are not walking away,” he said, but were forming a movement that would reform and renew the Anglican Churches.
An “awful lot of people are waiting for a bit of light,” he said, and Gafcon will provide that light. The church was ripe for the message of Gafcon as “there is still an intact fellowship of believing Christians” who will be drawn to this confessing movement, Bishop Venables said.
In a statement to be released on June 29 at the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) in Jerusalem conservatives representing the majority of members of the Anglican Communion are expected to form a confessing movement, akin to a “church within a church” that breaks with the liberal bishops of the US and Canada who have authorized the blessing of same-sex unions and backed the consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire.
Final touches to the communiqué were being applied on June 28 by the drafting committee, chaired by the Archbishop of Kenya Benjamin Nzimbi, including a clarification of relations with the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The crisis could have been avoided, the Gafcon leaders argued, had the Episcopal Church not turned its back on “dialogue” with the rest of the Communion, and gone its own way. “If only they would have come and talked to us and listen to us,” this could have been avoided, Bishop Venables said.
He announced that he would attend next month’s Lambeth Conference as “I personally believe there is room to manoeuvre” and work through the crisis of doctrine and discipline that has divided the Anglican Communion. He would go to Lambeth to “listen, to share with others” and keep the dialogue alive.
Dr. Jensen noted that if the Episcopal Church “did not believe that there would be consequences” for consecrating a “gay” priest as Bishop of New Hampshire, “that was an arrogant thing,” as its “consequences have been unfolding over the last five years, now their church is divided.”
He added that “all around the world the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused” and will break with the liberal wings of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada.
Dr. Jensen, one of the conference organizers, said that he expected there would be “long term consequences flowing from the conference” that will see “concrete results” that will change the Anglican Communion.
Past meetings of archbishops and bishops had proved fruitless in resolving the disputes, Bishop Venables said. “We got frustrated. We talked and talked, but where did we go?”
The Sydney archbishop, leader of the largest group of Anglicans in Australia, said that he had been unsure at the start of the conference whether it would succeed. Gafcon resembled a “ramshackle aeroplane, and I was never sure it was going to land.” However, it had turned out to be one of the most “extraordinary spiritual experiences I have ever had.”
The Gafcon meeting of over 1,200 Anglican bishops, clergy and lay leaders at the Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem from churches that make up the majority of the 80-million member Anglican will announce new structures for conservative churches in the US and Canada.
It will also put forward a declaration of common doctrinal principles and lay out plans for a new Book of Common Prayer and catechism based upon the historic Church of England 1662 prayer book, as well as pursue a common way of reading and interpreting the Bible, Nigerian Bishop John Akao said.
By: George Conger.
Jerusalem: Conservatives will declare a split from the Episcopal Church but will stop short of schism with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“There will be permanent division, one way or the other,” Dr. Peter Jensen (pictured), the archbishop of Sydney told the media, as the decision by the Episcopal Church to consecrate a practicing homosexual as a bishop in 2003 was “an extraordinary strategic blunder” that had divided the church.
However, the Anglican Communion will continue, the Primate of the Southern Cone, Bishop Gregory Venables of Argentina said. “This is not a shutting of doors. We are not walking away,” he said, but were forming a movement that would reform and renew the Anglican Churches.
An “awful lot of people are waiting for a bit of light,” he said, and Gafcon will provide that light. The church was ripe for the message of Gafcon as “there is still an intact fellowship of believing Christians” who will be drawn to this confessing movement, Bishop Venables said.
In a statement to be released on June 29 at the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) in Jerusalem conservatives representing the majority of members of the Anglican Communion are expected to form a confessing movement, akin to a “church within a church” that breaks with the liberal bishops of the US and Canada who have authorized the blessing of same-sex unions and backed the consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire.
Final touches to the communiqué were being applied on June 28 by the drafting committee, chaired by the Archbishop of Kenya Benjamin Nzimbi, including a clarification of relations with the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The crisis could have been avoided, the Gafcon leaders argued, had the Episcopal Church not turned its back on “dialogue” with the rest of the Communion, and gone its own way. “If only they would have come and talked to us and listen to us,” this could have been avoided, Bishop Venables said.
He announced that he would attend next month’s Lambeth Conference as “I personally believe there is room to manoeuvre” and work through the crisis of doctrine and discipline that has divided the Anglican Communion. He would go to Lambeth to “listen, to share with others” and keep the dialogue alive.
Dr. Jensen noted that if the Episcopal Church “did not believe that there would be consequences” for consecrating a “gay” priest as Bishop of New Hampshire, “that was an arrogant thing,” as its “consequences have been unfolding over the last five years, now their church is divided.”
He added that “all around the world the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused” and will break with the liberal wings of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada.
Dr. Jensen, one of the conference organizers, said that he expected there would be “long term consequences flowing from the conference” that will see “concrete results” that will change the Anglican Communion.
Past meetings of archbishops and bishops had proved fruitless in resolving the disputes, Bishop Venables said. “We got frustrated. We talked and talked, but where did we go?”
The Sydney archbishop, leader of the largest group of Anglicans in Australia, said that he had been unsure at the start of the conference whether it would succeed. Gafcon resembled a “ramshackle aeroplane, and I was never sure it was going to land.” However, it had turned out to be one of the most “extraordinary spiritual experiences I have ever had.”
The Gafcon meeting of over 1,200 Anglican bishops, clergy and lay leaders at the Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem from churches that make up the majority of the 80-million member Anglican will announce new structures for conservative churches in the US and Canada.
It will also put forward a declaration of common doctrinal principles and lay out plans for a new Book of Common Prayer and catechism based upon the historic Church of England 1662 prayer book, as well as pursue a common way of reading and interpreting the Bible, Nigerian Bishop John Akao said.
Statement by John McCain on Meeting with Reverends Billy and Franklin Graham
ARLINGTON, Va., June 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- U.S. Senator John McCain today made the following statement after meeting with Reverend Billy Graham and his son, Reverend Franklin Graham:
"Today, I met with Reverend Billy Graham and his son, Franklin. We had a very excellent conversation, and I appreciated the opportunity to visit with them. Billy Graham recalled that during the Vietnam War when I was a prisoner, he visited my parents twice in Honolulu, and he and my father prayed together for me. And I expressed my appreciation for that a long time ago."
Christian Newswire
"Today, I met with Reverend Billy Graham and his son, Franklin. We had a very excellent conversation, and I appreciated the opportunity to visit with them. Billy Graham recalled that during the Vietnam War when I was a prisoner, he visited my parents twice in Honolulu, and he and my father prayed together for me. And I expressed my appreciation for that a long time ago."
Christian Newswire
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Virginia judge affirms parish property rights
A Virginia circuit judge has handed a crucial victory to a group of 11 former Episcopal churches that left the Diocese of Virginia 18 months ago over issues of theology and the 2003 consecration of the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
In a 49-page ruling issued Friday morning, Judge Randy I. Bellows said a Civil War-era statute allowing the churches to split and keep their property is constitutional.
"Simply put, [the division statute] was constitutional in 1867 when it became the law of the commonwealth of Virginia and it remains constitutional in 2008," the judge wrote.
There is no violation of the U.S. Constitution either, he added, including the First Amendment guarantees against the establishment of religion and against prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
The statute is key to the case being made by the churches, which have said they are entitled to keep millions of dollars in land and assets because their denomination has undergone an irreparable "division."
The Episcopal Church and the diocese have sued, saying the statute does not apply in this case and that it is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, which is the largest church property case in the history of the Episcopal Church, is being closely watched across the country.
On April 3, Judge Bellows said the statute applied to the case - a ruling considered a victory for the conservatives.
During a May 28 hearing in Fairfax Circuit Court, the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia said the division statute is unconstitutional because it discriminates against hierarchical denominations by imposing democratic government on them - enabling a congregation to leave the church with its property upon a majority vote of that congregation.
The judge disagreed, saying the law doesn't single out the Episcopal Church or other churches with bishops such as Lutherans and Methodists.
Rather, he said, it was passed in light of splits within multiple denominations in the 19th century in the hopes of peacefully resolving property disputes. He added that it does not deal with the "thicket" of church doctrine.
"The Episcopal Church and the diocese's various arguments against the constitutionality of [the division statute] fail," Judge Bellows wrote. "Although the Episcopal Church and the diocese assert the court has entered into the forbidden religious thicket ... this court finds their arguments unpersuasive."
He also faulted the diocese for leaving itself vulnerable by having church property in the 90,000-member diocese held, not by the bishop, but by the members of the congregation as trustees. The denomination argued in court that re-titling some 195 congregations in the nation's largest Episcopal diocese constituted a "burden."
Several other hierarchical churches in Virginia keep their properties in their own name, the judge said, citing the Roman Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox and Foursquare Gospel churches.
"The Episcopal Church and the diocese could have, at any time within the past 140 years since [the division statute] was originally passed, re-titled their properties in the name of a bishop or other ecclesiastical officer," he wrote. "If they had done so, they could have permanently avoided any potential application of [the division statute]."
The diocese issued a statement calling the ruling "regrettable" and potentially damaging to other hierarchical churches around the state.
"We continue to believe that this division statute is clearly at odds with and uniquely hostile to religious freedom, the First Amendment and prior U.S. and Virginia Supreme Court rulings," it said.
"The diocese remains steadfast in its commitment to current and future generations of loyal Episcopalians and will continue to pursue every legal option available to ensure that they will be able to worship in the churches their Episcopal ancestors built."
Jim Oakes, vice chairman for the Anglican District of Virginia, the corporation to which the 11 churches belong, pronounced itself "pleased" with the ruling.
"After meticulous examination, the judge ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Virginia division statute against all of the Free Exercise, Establishment, Equal Protection, and Takings Clause challenges raised by the Episcopal Church (TEC) and Diocese of Virginia," he said.
The diocese, the Episcopal Church and the 11 churches now under the aegis of the Anglican District of Virginia, will next meet in Judge Bellows' court in October for the third phase of the lawsuit, which determines ownership of the property.
In a 49-page ruling issued Friday morning, Judge Randy I. Bellows said a Civil War-era statute allowing the churches to split and keep their property is constitutional.
"Simply put, [the division statute] was constitutional in 1867 when it became the law of the commonwealth of Virginia and it remains constitutional in 2008," the judge wrote.
There is no violation of the U.S. Constitution either, he added, including the First Amendment guarantees against the establishment of religion and against prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
The statute is key to the case being made by the churches, which have said they are entitled to keep millions of dollars in land and assets because their denomination has undergone an irreparable "division."
The Episcopal Church and the diocese have sued, saying the statute does not apply in this case and that it is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, which is the largest church property case in the history of the Episcopal Church, is being closely watched across the country.
On April 3, Judge Bellows said the statute applied to the case - a ruling considered a victory for the conservatives.
During a May 28 hearing in Fairfax Circuit Court, the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia said the division statute is unconstitutional because it discriminates against hierarchical denominations by imposing democratic government on them - enabling a congregation to leave the church with its property upon a majority vote of that congregation.
The judge disagreed, saying the law doesn't single out the Episcopal Church or other churches with bishops such as Lutherans and Methodists.
Rather, he said, it was passed in light of splits within multiple denominations in the 19th century in the hopes of peacefully resolving property disputes. He added that it does not deal with the "thicket" of church doctrine.
"The Episcopal Church and the diocese's various arguments against the constitutionality of [the division statute] fail," Judge Bellows wrote. "Although the Episcopal Church and the diocese assert the court has entered into the forbidden religious thicket ... this court finds their arguments unpersuasive."
He also faulted the diocese for leaving itself vulnerable by having church property in the 90,000-member diocese held, not by the bishop, but by the members of the congregation as trustees. The denomination argued in court that re-titling some 195 congregations in the nation's largest Episcopal diocese constituted a "burden."
Several other hierarchical churches in Virginia keep their properties in their own name, the judge said, citing the Roman Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox and Foursquare Gospel churches.
"The Episcopal Church and the diocese could have, at any time within the past 140 years since [the division statute] was originally passed, re-titled their properties in the name of a bishop or other ecclesiastical officer," he wrote. "If they had done so, they could have permanently avoided any potential application of [the division statute]."
The diocese issued a statement calling the ruling "regrettable" and potentially damaging to other hierarchical churches around the state.
"We continue to believe that this division statute is clearly at odds with and uniquely hostile to religious freedom, the First Amendment and prior U.S. and Virginia Supreme Court rulings," it said.
"The diocese remains steadfast in its commitment to current and future generations of loyal Episcopalians and will continue to pursue every legal option available to ensure that they will be able to worship in the churches their Episcopal ancestors built."
Jim Oakes, vice chairman for the Anglican District of Virginia, the corporation to which the 11 churches belong, pronounced itself "pleased" with the ruling.
"After meticulous examination, the judge ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Virginia division statute against all of the Free Exercise, Establishment, Equal Protection, and Takings Clause challenges raised by the Episcopal Church (TEC) and Diocese of Virginia," he said.
The diocese, the Episcopal Church and the 11 churches now under the aegis of the Anglican District of Virginia, will next meet in Judge Bellows' court in October for the third phase of the lawsuit, which determines ownership of the property.
Friday, June 27, 2008
CatholicTV Announces World Youth Day Coverage, July Programming Highlights
CatholicTV® announces a month-long parade of events to celebrate our nation's independence and goes down under for World Youth Day 2008.
MEDIA ADVISORY, June 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Going My Way" is CatholicTV's hit variety series with Father Chris Hickey, "the Jay Leno of Catholic television" (Patriot Ledger). Each week, he interviews a guest priest in a comedic q & a. Then they join Father Paul Rouse for a musical segment where the guest shares his singing "talent". The week leading up to July 4th, Father Matt Williams, Boston's "New Evangelization" priest, is the guest. Father Chris and Father Matt talk about their WYD 2008 pilgrimage and the three priests perform patriotic songs.
Everyday from July 15-20 is World Youth Day, as CatholicTV will bring live and same-day coverage from Australia. See Pope Benedict XVI's aquatic arrival in Australia and all the major events. Rebroadcasts of this year's events will be shown daily along with highlights from World Youth Days' past. All this year's events will be available as video on demand (VOD) on Verizon FiOS and at CatholicTV.com.
CatholicTV live talk show, "This Is The Day" will feature reports from Australia. On-site coverage features Father Hickey reporting from all the major sites with pilgrims from the U.S. and Canada. Each event will feature commentary from Father Robert Reed, Jay Fadden and guests in the CatholicTV studios.
CatholicTV World Youth Day 2008 Event Coverage (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, July 15
"This Is The Day" (10:30 a.m.)
Opening Mass (noon and 8 p.m.)
Thursday, July 17
Papal Arrival and Welcoming Ceremony (noon and 8 p.m.)
Friday, July 18
"This Is The Day" (10:30 a.m.)
Stations of the Cross (noon and 8 p.m.)
Saturday, July 19
Vigil with Pope Benedict XVI (noon)
Final Mass celebrated by the Pope (6 p.m.) Sunday, July 20
Final Mass rebroadcast (noon)
"This Is The Day" is CatholicTV's signature talk show and airs live at 10:30 every Tuesday and Friday with rebroadcasts all week. Father Robert Reed and Jay Fadden host with Kevin Nelson providing news and events. Segments including interviews with Catholics from around the world and around the corner, cooking, trivia and music. The show is available for free at itunes or www.sqpn.com. Every episode, along with all of CatholicTV original programming is available VOD at CatholicTV.com.
Other CatholicTV July Programming Highlights
"Blink" features multiple hosts offering short segments on various topics from the sacraments to prayer life and the saints. The newest segment on "Blink" is Father David O'Leary's "Catholic Citizenship". In this election year, Father O'Leary's segments aim to inform about the foundation of Catholic moral and social teachings on voting and political life.
In July, CatholicTV celebrates its first anniversary of broadcasting from their Watertown, MA headquarters, the Monsignor Francis T. McFarland Television Center. "Fr. Frank" passed away July 17, 2001. On Thursday, July 17, CatholicTV will remember Fr. Frank beginning at 10 a.m. with a special edition our series "The Rosary" with him and three other specials until noon when our WYD coverage resumes. General Manager Jay Fadden said, "July 17 is an important day every year at CatholicTV. To be able to have a day we remember Fr. Frank and celebrate with the Pope and thousands of young Catholics from Australia is an a truly amazing day."
About CatholicTV®
CatholicTV provides family-friendly religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over fifty years ago, CatholicTV's programming is available on selected cable systems including Comcast, RCN, Sky Angel IPTV, and Verizon FiOS and anytime, anywhere at CatholicTV.com. For more information, visit www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV.
Christian Newswire
MEDIA ADVISORY, June 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Going My Way" is CatholicTV's hit variety series with Father Chris Hickey, "the Jay Leno of Catholic television" (Patriot Ledger). Each week, he interviews a guest priest in a comedic q & a. Then they join Father Paul Rouse for a musical segment where the guest shares his singing "talent". The week leading up to July 4th, Father Matt Williams, Boston's "New Evangelization" priest, is the guest. Father Chris and Father Matt talk about their WYD 2008 pilgrimage and the three priests perform patriotic songs.
Everyday from July 15-20 is World Youth Day, as CatholicTV will bring live and same-day coverage from Australia. See Pope Benedict XVI's aquatic arrival in Australia and all the major events. Rebroadcasts of this year's events will be shown daily along with highlights from World Youth Days' past. All this year's events will be available as video on demand (VOD) on Verizon FiOS and at CatholicTV.com.
CatholicTV live talk show, "This Is The Day" will feature reports from Australia. On-site coverage features Father Hickey reporting from all the major sites with pilgrims from the U.S. and Canada. Each event will feature commentary from Father Robert Reed, Jay Fadden and guests in the CatholicTV studios.
CatholicTV World Youth Day 2008 Event Coverage (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, July 15
"This Is The Day" (10:30 a.m.)
Opening Mass (noon and 8 p.m.)
Thursday, July 17
Papal Arrival and Welcoming Ceremony (noon and 8 p.m.)
Friday, July 18
"This Is The Day" (10:30 a.m.)
Stations of the Cross (noon and 8 p.m.)
Saturday, July 19
Vigil with Pope Benedict XVI (noon)
Final Mass celebrated by the Pope (6 p.m.) Sunday, July 20
Final Mass rebroadcast (noon)
"This Is The Day" is CatholicTV's signature talk show and airs live at 10:30 every Tuesday and Friday with rebroadcasts all week. Father Robert Reed and Jay Fadden host with Kevin Nelson providing news and events. Segments including interviews with Catholics from around the world and around the corner, cooking, trivia and music. The show is available for free at itunes or www.sqpn.com. Every episode, along with all of CatholicTV original programming is available VOD at CatholicTV.com.
Other CatholicTV July Programming Highlights
"Blink" features multiple hosts offering short segments on various topics from the sacraments to prayer life and the saints. The newest segment on "Blink" is Father David O'Leary's "Catholic Citizenship". In this election year, Father O'Leary's segments aim to inform about the foundation of Catholic moral and social teachings on voting and political life.
In July, CatholicTV celebrates its first anniversary of broadcasting from their Watertown, MA headquarters, the Monsignor Francis T. McFarland Television Center. "Fr. Frank" passed away July 17, 2001. On Thursday, July 17, CatholicTV will remember Fr. Frank beginning at 10 a.m. with a special edition our series "The Rosary" with him and three other specials until noon when our WYD coverage resumes. General Manager Jay Fadden said, "July 17 is an important day every year at CatholicTV. To be able to have a day we remember Fr. Frank and celebrate with the Pope and thousands of young Catholics from Australia is an a truly amazing day."
About CatholicTV®
CatholicTV provides family-friendly religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over fifty years ago, CatholicTV's programming is available on selected cable systems including Comcast, RCN, Sky Angel IPTV, and Verizon FiOS and anytime, anywhere at CatholicTV.com. For more information, visit www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV.
Christian Newswire
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Daily Slaughter of Children Means Very Little to Our Major Presidential Candidates
SAN DIEGO, June 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- Global Warming, the economy and the price of gas continue to dominate the agendas of those running for President, when all along there are literally thousands of children each day who are chemically and surgically murdered by abortion.
Biblical Family Advocates is overwhelmingly astonished how cavalier and hard hearted each of the candidates continue to be in their silence on the atrocity of abortion. Their indifference to the slaughter of the pre born child in America speaks volumes of their lack of moral and spiritual leadership. They are hypocrites of the first order that Jesus Christ warned us about; actors who put on masks to accommodate their listeners.
Phil Magnan, President of Biblical Family Advocates, had this to say regarding staggering carnage forced upon children in the womb. "How can we value any of our candidates for the Presidency if they do not have the courage to stand against the illegal actions of the U.S. Supreme Court who have deprived the unborn of their God given inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Children do not find their greatest happiness and potential in life by being thrown away in a garbage disposal.
"If our candidates continue to have such dismal leadership on the protection of those who are innocent and weak, how can we have any expectation of their sense of justice and compassion for any of us? We cannot have any assurance of our national security as long as those in government allow the killing of our own children. Since Roe v Wade, every President has shunned their oath to uphold the 13 and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."
"It is apparent that in the coming years, abortion clinics and hospitals in America are once again going to be filled with more innocent blood spilled on the precious altar of selfish and immoral choices. Once again this slaughter will be paved by the cruelty of political expediency, regardless what candidate wins the Presidency."
Magnan continued, "Will we see any candidate pledge that they will not sign one more budget with abortion funding, including abortifacient drugs? Will we see one candidate make embryonic stem cell research illegal? Will we see one candidate pledge that they will not allow abortion on demand any longer; declaring that the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court violated the U.S. Constitution? Such a President would have the courage and moral fortitude to activate the National Guard to enforce the U.S. Constitution, because the unborn have the civil and inalienable right to life.
"A real Commander and Chief will protect all of the children of our nation; anything less is lip service to God and to man. We want candidates who are not only philosophically against abortion, but have the courage to actually stop it, no matter the political cost."
Christian Newswire
Biblical Family Advocates is overwhelmingly astonished how cavalier and hard hearted each of the candidates continue to be in their silence on the atrocity of abortion. Their indifference to the slaughter of the pre born child in America speaks volumes of their lack of moral and spiritual leadership. They are hypocrites of the first order that Jesus Christ warned us about; actors who put on masks to accommodate their listeners.
Phil Magnan, President of Biblical Family Advocates, had this to say regarding staggering carnage forced upon children in the womb. "How can we value any of our candidates for the Presidency if they do not have the courage to stand against the illegal actions of the U.S. Supreme Court who have deprived the unborn of their God given inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Children do not find their greatest happiness and potential in life by being thrown away in a garbage disposal.
"If our candidates continue to have such dismal leadership on the protection of those who are innocent and weak, how can we have any expectation of their sense of justice and compassion for any of us? We cannot have any assurance of our national security as long as those in government allow the killing of our own children. Since Roe v Wade, every President has shunned their oath to uphold the 13 and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."
"It is apparent that in the coming years, abortion clinics and hospitals in America are once again going to be filled with more innocent blood spilled on the precious altar of selfish and immoral choices. Once again this slaughter will be paved by the cruelty of political expediency, regardless what candidate wins the Presidency."
Magnan continued, "Will we see any candidate pledge that they will not sign one more budget with abortion funding, including abortifacient drugs? Will we see one candidate make embryonic stem cell research illegal? Will we see one candidate pledge that they will not allow abortion on demand any longer; declaring that the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court violated the U.S. Constitution? Such a President would have the courage and moral fortitude to activate the National Guard to enforce the U.S. Constitution, because the unborn have the civil and inalienable right to life.
"A real Commander and Chief will protect all of the children of our nation; anything less is lip service to God and to man. We want candidates who are not only philosophically against abortion, but have the courage to actually stop it, no matter the political cost."
Christian Newswire
Friday, June 20, 2008
Anglicans who oppose gay bishops meet in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (ENI). More than 1000 senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, including about 280 bishops from Africa, Latin America and Asia, who oppose the ordination of homosexuals are preparing for a summit meeting in Jerusalem. Many of the church leaders attending the 22-29 June meeting are from the global South, and have said they will boycott the next 10-yearly Lambeth Conference in England due to begin on 16 July. One of the root causes of the disagreement is a long running controversy relating to same-sex blessings and the consecration of a gay bishop in the United States. [564 words, ENI-08-0489]
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Female bishops 'further obstacle' to unity says Australian bishop
Melbourne (ENI). The consecration of two female bishops in Australia's Anglican church has placed the spotlight on the implications of these developments for the promotion of unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. An Australian Catholic bishop has said the consecration in May of the two women - Kay Goldsworthy in Perth, and Barbara Darling in Melbourne - will increase obstacles to unity and reconciliation. In June 2006, the Vatican's top official for Christian unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, told (Anglican) Church of England bishops that a decision to ordain women bishops would threaten the unity of Anglican bishops, and make full union with the Catholic Church "disappear into the far and ultimately unreachable distance". [421 words, ENI-08-0485]
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Homosexual Marriage Threatens Survival of Western Civilization
CALIFORNIA, CONGRESS AT THE CENTER OF ANCIENT MORAL CONTROVERSY
The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Western Civilization Reveals How Homosexual 'Marriage' May Seal the Fate of a Declining Culture
WASHINGTON, June 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- Following a decision by four activist Supreme Court judges, homosexual "weddings" are beginning this week in California. In the nation's capital, conservative and family groups are angered by the creation of a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus in the House of Representatives.
In his new book, The Politically Incorrect Guide(TM) to Western Civilization, author Anthony Esolen writes that the fall of the Greeks was due to the fact that by the fifth century, traditional values of right and wrong had been swept aside to make way for moral relativism that declared "right" was whatever a majority wished it to be.
"The victors in the ideological struggles of the last hundred years claim that law is simply what we make it--and whatever we want is all right," says Esolen. "It divorces us culturally from traditional values and morality, as we see daily in the call for homosexual 'marriage.' Californians may not notice the results of homosexual marriage tomorrow, but the concept of marriage will eventually be destroyed, weakening the state and the rest of the nation."
To receive a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Anthony Esolen, please contact Meredith Bagdazian at (202) 216-0601 x440 or mbagdazian@eaglepub.com
Christian Newswire
The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Western Civilization Reveals How Homosexual 'Marriage' May Seal the Fate of a Declining Culture
WASHINGTON, June 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- Following a decision by four activist Supreme Court judges, homosexual "weddings" are beginning this week in California. In the nation's capital, conservative and family groups are angered by the creation of a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus in the House of Representatives.
In his new book, The Politically Incorrect Guide(TM) to Western Civilization, author Anthony Esolen writes that the fall of the Greeks was due to the fact that by the fifth century, traditional values of right and wrong had been swept aside to make way for moral relativism that declared "right" was whatever a majority wished it to be.
"The victors in the ideological struggles of the last hundred years claim that law is simply what we make it--and whatever we want is all right," says Esolen. "It divorces us culturally from traditional values and morality, as we see daily in the call for homosexual 'marriage.' Californians may not notice the results of homosexual marriage tomorrow, but the concept of marriage will eventually be destroyed, weakening the state and the rest of the nation."
To receive a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Anthony Esolen, please contact Meredith Bagdazian at (202) 216-0601 x440 or mbagdazian@eaglepub.com
Christian Newswire
Five hundred priests threaten to leave Anglican church over female bishops
London, Jun 17, 2008 / 02:16 pm (CNA).- The Times of London reported this week that the Anglican Church is facing a new crisis with 500 priests threatening to leave if women are ordained bishops.
The newspaper reported that the priests have said they would leave the Church if the proposal is approved at the next general synod scheduled for July of this year.
Many priests said they feel betrayed by the proposal, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Archbishop John Sentamu of York have responded by saying they would work for a compromise rather than allow female bishops, even though both are in favor of female clergy.
Fifteen provinces of the Anglican Communion have voted in favor of female bishops, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Central America, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States.
The newspaper reported that the priests have said they would leave the Church if the proposal is approved at the next general synod scheduled for July of this year.
Many priests said they feel betrayed by the proposal, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Archbishop John Sentamu of York have responded by saying they would work for a compromise rather than allow female bishops, even though both are in favor of female clergy.
Fifteen provinces of the Anglican Communion have voted in favor of female bishops, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Central America, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Bishop of London to investigate 'gay blessing' service
London (ENI). An investigation has been launched by the bishop of London into a ceremony in which two gay Anglican clerics in a civil partnership exchanged rings and vows and used a version of a Church of England marriage service. "Services of public blessing for civil partnerships are not authorised in the Church of England," said Bishop Richard Chartres after it emerged on 15 June that the service had taken place in a London church on 31 May. [495 words, ENI-08-0475]
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
Activists Strike a Blow to Marriage and Democracy by Forcing Their Radical Agenda on the People of California and New York
National Scope of Battle to Protect Marriage Is the Reason AFM Drafted the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment
WASHINGTON, June 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Alliance for Marriage called upon Congress to pass AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment as the battle over the future of marriage exploded from coast-to-coast today with activists forcing their destructive social agenda on the people of California and New York.
"The national scope of the assault on our marriage laws is the reason the Alliance for Marriage drafted the federal Marriage Protection Amendment," said Matt Daniels, president and founder of the Alliance for Marriage. "As the judicial destruction of marriage in California is exported across state lines - to New York and soon to other states -- AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment is the only viable democratic option to allow the American people to protect marriage for the sake of our children."
"Today is a sad day for the people of California and New York who have lost the right -- freely and democratically -- to choose the course that is best for them, their families and their children," said Niger Innis, AFM Advisory Board Member and National Spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the third oldest and one of the "Big Four" civil rights groups in the United States. "With all of society's ills and potential pitfalls, the foundation of marriage is the bedrock of security and guarantor of the full recognition of our human rights and civil rights."
"Marriage is the most universal social institution - transcending all racial, religious and political boundary lines," said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., an AFM Advisory Board Member and President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). "As the largest 'minority' community in California, we have voted with our feet in rejecting the false claims that destruction of marriage represents the advancement of civil rights."
"Most Americans believe that gays and lesbians have a right to live as they choose, but they don't believe they have a right to redefine marriage for our entire society," said Daniels added. "Americans want our laws to send a positive message to children about marriage, family and their future."
The Alliance for Marriage is a non-partisan, multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy -- the former DC Delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.
www.afmusa.org
Christian Newswire
WASHINGTON, June 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Alliance for Marriage called upon Congress to pass AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment as the battle over the future of marriage exploded from coast-to-coast today with activists forcing their destructive social agenda on the people of California and New York.
"The national scope of the assault on our marriage laws is the reason the Alliance for Marriage drafted the federal Marriage Protection Amendment," said Matt Daniels, president and founder of the Alliance for Marriage. "As the judicial destruction of marriage in California is exported across state lines - to New York and soon to other states -- AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment is the only viable democratic option to allow the American people to protect marriage for the sake of our children."
"Today is a sad day for the people of California and New York who have lost the right -- freely and democratically -- to choose the course that is best for them, their families and their children," said Niger Innis, AFM Advisory Board Member and National Spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the third oldest and one of the "Big Four" civil rights groups in the United States. "With all of society's ills and potential pitfalls, the foundation of marriage is the bedrock of security and guarantor of the full recognition of our human rights and civil rights."
"Marriage is the most universal social institution - transcending all racial, religious and political boundary lines," said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., an AFM Advisory Board Member and President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). "As the largest 'minority' community in California, we have voted with our feet in rejecting the false claims that destruction of marriage represents the advancement of civil rights."
"Most Americans believe that gays and lesbians have a right to live as they choose, but they don't believe they have a right to redefine marriage for our entire society," said Daniels added. "Americans want our laws to send a positive message to children about marriage, family and their future."
The Alliance for Marriage is a non-partisan, multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy -- the former DC Delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.
www.afmusa.org
Christian Newswire
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Church of England split warning over women bishops
Sunday, 15th June 2008. 6:07am
By: Matt Cresswell.
A SPLIT within the Church of England could be only weeks away as opposition to plans for women bishops expressed their anger at the plans.
The outcome of last month’s meeting of the House of Bishops is to be debated at General Synod next month. That will envisage a plan to provide ‘special arrangements’ for those unable as a matter of conviction to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests. But the opponents fear the arrangements will not be enough.
One Synod member told ReligiousIntelligence.com that it was estimated that up to 10 per cent of the Church could feasibly start their own structures and consecrate their own bishops. Such a group would include Anglo-Catholics, conservative evangelicals and some charismatics.
This was revealed after details of the women bishops’ motion -- to be debated at the July Synod – were publicised this week. The motion – written by the House of Bishops – suggests a ‘code of practice’ which would mean the rescinding of the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993. Annulling this Act -- which promised provision for those opposed to women priests – is seen as a move which could split the Church of England.
The Synod member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that passing the House of Bishops’ motion un-amended would be like “taking a wrecking ball to the Church of England”. He said Synod would be ‘bloody’ and that the House of Bishops needed to seriously re-think their position.
The proposed code of practice has not been received well by conservatives and Anglo-Catholics. One conservative Anglo-Catholic group, Forward in Faith, has said that a Code of Practice, or anything similar, is ‘unacceptable’. Others have said such a code is of no value at all.
A spokesman for the House of Bishops said: “Next month’s debates will, nevertheless, mark something of a watershed in that they will, for the first time, give the Synod the opportunity to come to a view on the underlying approach that it wishes to take to the legislation.”
He stressed that the motion at Synod was merely “a starting point for discussion.”
Three separate sessions are planned at Synod to allow members to ‘prayerfully discuss the options’ before being debated in full on the Monday afternoon. Forward in Faith, when asked whether they might form a new province with other disillusioned clergy declined to comment.
By: Matt Cresswell.
A SPLIT within the Church of England could be only weeks away as opposition to plans for women bishops expressed their anger at the plans.
The outcome of last month’s meeting of the House of Bishops is to be debated at General Synod next month. That will envisage a plan to provide ‘special arrangements’ for those unable as a matter of conviction to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests. But the opponents fear the arrangements will not be enough.
One Synod member told ReligiousIntelligence.com that it was estimated that up to 10 per cent of the Church could feasibly start their own structures and consecrate their own bishops. Such a group would include Anglo-Catholics, conservative evangelicals and some charismatics.
This was revealed after details of the women bishops’ motion -- to be debated at the July Synod – were publicised this week. The motion – written by the House of Bishops – suggests a ‘code of practice’ which would mean the rescinding of the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993. Annulling this Act -- which promised provision for those opposed to women priests – is seen as a move which could split the Church of England.
The Synod member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that passing the House of Bishops’ motion un-amended would be like “taking a wrecking ball to the Church of England”. He said Synod would be ‘bloody’ and that the House of Bishops needed to seriously re-think their position.
The proposed code of practice has not been received well by conservatives and Anglo-Catholics. One conservative Anglo-Catholic group, Forward in Faith, has said that a Code of Practice, or anything similar, is ‘unacceptable’. Others have said such a code is of no value at all.
A spokesman for the House of Bishops said: “Next month’s debates will, nevertheless, mark something of a watershed in that they will, for the first time, give the Synod the opportunity to come to a view on the underlying approach that it wishes to take to the legislation.”
He stressed that the motion at Synod was merely “a starting point for discussion.”
Three separate sessions are planned at Synod to allow members to ‘prayerfully discuss the options’ before being debated in full on the Monday afternoon. Forward in Faith, when asked whether they might form a new province with other disillusioned clergy declined to comment.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Pope thanks President Bush for defence of 'moral values'
Rome (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI received President George W. Bush, not at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, but in the Vatican Gardens' Tower of St John, a rare move interpreted by some media as papal agreement with the views of the US leader on bioethics and abortion. The Vatican, however, said in a statement after the 13 June meeting the "special protocol" was to respond to the cordiality of the welcome received by Pope Benedict during his April visit to the United States. [366 words, ENI-08-0469]
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
ENI Online - www.eni.ch
Thursday, June 12, 2008
AFTAH Condemns WTTW, PBS for Airing Anti-Christian Programming Celebrating Homosexuality During 'Gay Pride Month'
NAPERVILLE, Ill., June 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera today accused the Chicago public TV station WTTW, and by extension the Public Broadcasting System, of using taxpayer monies to celebrate homosexuality and worse, air programs that displays flagrant anti-religious bigotry during "Gay Pride Month."
"It is unconscionable that WTTW would show such blatant disregard for its faith- and tradition- minded viewers that it would use anti-Christian programs celebrating homosexuality for its fund- raising telethons," LaBarbera said. "Public television must be impartial on controversial moral issues. We call on WTTW and PBS to balance their pro-homosexual programming with faith-based educational material from the other side, or stop it altogether."
Last night, WTTW used the documentary, "The Power of Harmony," featuring the Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale, as a fund-raiser. It included:
The homosexual men's choir singing the song, "I Ain't Afraid," which contains the following refrain denigrating faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims: "I ain't afraid of your Yahweh, I ain't afraid of your Allah, I ain't afraid of your Jesus, I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your God";
Repeated assertions that God made homosexuals that way and that portray Christians who disagree as hateful, ignorant or prejudiced. Said one homosexual man's mother: "God created homosexuality. It's just part of a person." Historic Christian teaching holds that homosexual acts are sinful but that this behavior pattern – like other sinful lifestyles – can be overcome through faith in Christ;
Testimonies by bitter "gay" men who despise and attack the religion of their upbringing because it does not sanction their lifestyle;
A homosexual male couple adopting a Guatemalan baby.
WTTW's 2007 Annual Report, shows that the Chicago station received $3,030,000 in Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants in Fiscal Year 2007 and a State of Illinois grant of $1,679,000.
WTTW's airing of the anti-Christian "The Power of Harmony" comes during June, when homosexuals celebrate "Gay Pride Month." This month, WTTW also repeatedly has aired another pro-homosexual documentary, "Out in Chicago," as a telethon fund-raiser.
"WTTW talks a good game about diversity, but it shows profound disrespect for people of faith and real diversity with its bigoted, one-sided programming on homosexuality," LaBarbera said. "We expect PBS and WTTW officials to fix this bias problem."
Christian Newswire
"It is unconscionable that WTTW would show such blatant disregard for its faith- and tradition- minded viewers that it would use anti-Christian programs celebrating homosexuality for its fund- raising telethons," LaBarbera said. "Public television must be impartial on controversial moral issues. We call on WTTW and PBS to balance their pro-homosexual programming with faith-based educational material from the other side, or stop it altogether."
Last night, WTTW used the documentary, "The Power of Harmony," featuring the Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale, as a fund-raiser. It included:
The homosexual men's choir singing the song, "I Ain't Afraid," which contains the following refrain denigrating faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims: "I ain't afraid of your Yahweh, I ain't afraid of your Allah, I ain't afraid of your Jesus, I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your God";
Repeated assertions that God made homosexuals that way and that portray Christians who disagree as hateful, ignorant or prejudiced. Said one homosexual man's mother: "God created homosexuality. It's just part of a person." Historic Christian teaching holds that homosexual acts are sinful but that this behavior pattern – like other sinful lifestyles – can be overcome through faith in Christ;
Testimonies by bitter "gay" men who despise and attack the religion of their upbringing because it does not sanction their lifestyle;
A homosexual male couple adopting a Guatemalan baby.
WTTW's 2007 Annual Report, shows that the Chicago station received $3,030,000 in Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants in Fiscal Year 2007 and a State of Illinois grant of $1,679,000.
WTTW's airing of the anti-Christian "The Power of Harmony" comes during June, when homosexuals celebrate "Gay Pride Month." This month, WTTW also repeatedly has aired another pro-homosexual documentary, "Out in Chicago," as a telethon fund-raiser.
"WTTW talks a good game about diversity, but it shows profound disrespect for people of faith and real diversity with its bigoted, one-sided programming on homosexuality," LaBarbera said. "We expect PBS and WTTW officials to fix this bias problem."
Christian Newswire
Monday, June 09, 2008
Anglican traditionalists seek corporate reunion with Rome
London, Jun. 9, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A conservative Anglican group is waiting for a response from the Vatican to an appeal for incorporation into the Catholic Church, according to the Church of England Newspaper.
The Traditional Anglican Communion, a group that claims a following of 400,000 faithful, has asked for the appointment of a Catholic bishop to preside over an Anglican rite that would be restored to full communion with the Holy See. Sources within the group report that talks with Vatican officials have been continuing on an unofficial basis.
Citing sources in Rome, the Church of England Newspaper says that a Vatican answer to the petition from the traditionalist Anglicans could come after the Lambeth Conference of Anglican leaders, which will be held from July 16 to August 3.
The Traditional Anglican Communion, a group that claims a following of 400,000 faithful, has asked for the appointment of a Catholic bishop to preside over an Anglican rite that would be restored to full communion with the Holy See. Sources within the group report that talks with Vatican officials have been continuing on an unofficial basis.
Citing sources in Rome, the Church of England Newspaper says that a Vatican answer to the petition from the traditionalist Anglicans could come after the Lambeth Conference of Anglican leaders, which will be held from July 16 to August 3.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Announcement likely on Vatican ties with disaffected Anglicans
Sunday, 8th June 2008. 7:37am
By: George Conger.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT on the Vatican’s relationship with the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) may be made following the July 16-Aug 3 Lambeth Conference, sources in Rome tell ReligiousIntelligence.com.
Leaders of TAC, home to over 400,000 Anglo-Catholics who have left the Episcopal and Anglican churches over the past thirty years, have been in talks with the Vatican over creating an Anglican-rite enclave under the authority of the Bishop of Rome.
While the curia under Pope John Paul II had opposed attempts to bring Anglicans en masse into the Roman Catholic fold, under Benedict XVI the Vatican appears to have adopted a different line. Anglicans wishing to be received into the Catholic Church are welcome to do so, as individuals, rather than as part of a larger ecclesial body. The talks between TAC and Vatican, however, have focused on allowing whole groups to enter the Catholic Church while maintaining their own orders and liturgy.
The National Catholic Register reported in its June 1 issue, that “discussions at the Vatican on devising a possible structure for [TAC] to come into communion with Rome are understood to be nearing completion.” It added that during their May 5 meeting, Archbishop Rowan Williams asked Benedict that “any potential announcement be delayed until after the Lambeth Conference.”
However, a spokesman for Dr Williams told CEN the report was untrue. The TAC issue “didn’t come up with the Pope,” a press spokesman for the Archbishop said.
The Rt Rev David Moyer, former president of Forward in Faith USA and a Bishop in TAC, also declined comment on the negotiations with Rome, stating only that “We in the TAC are on our knees for something positive to happen. We remain very hopeful.”
The Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt Rev Jack Iker --- who is currently in Rome on study leave --- told ReligiousIntelligence.com “conversations with TAC - and others - have taken place at high levels in the Vatican and that it is thought that the Pope is sympathetic to the dilemma of traditionalists in the Anglican way.”
However, no formal dialogue exists between TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity --- the Vatican agency tasked with ecumenical relations --- observers note. Those backing TAC’s cause for corporate reunion are found in other department, not directly charged with church relations.
Speculation on a possible Anglican enclave within the Catholic Church comes amidst a tightening of views on women bishops within the Church of England. One traditionalist leader speculated that the House of Bishops’ decision to go ahead with women bishops without providing safeguards for those opposed, may have been predicated on the calculation that the Catholic Church would resolve the women clergy issue for the Church of England.
However, one bishop told CEN the House of Bishops’ decision to proceed with women bishops was only by a majority, and he questioned whether two thirds could be found on a final vote “if it provides no safeguards.”
By: George Conger.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT on the Vatican’s relationship with the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) may be made following the July 16-Aug 3 Lambeth Conference, sources in Rome tell ReligiousIntelligence.com.
Leaders of TAC, home to over 400,000 Anglo-Catholics who have left the Episcopal and Anglican churches over the past thirty years, have been in talks with the Vatican over creating an Anglican-rite enclave under the authority of the Bishop of Rome.
While the curia under Pope John Paul II had opposed attempts to bring Anglicans en masse into the Roman Catholic fold, under Benedict XVI the Vatican appears to have adopted a different line. Anglicans wishing to be received into the Catholic Church are welcome to do so, as individuals, rather than as part of a larger ecclesial body. The talks between TAC and Vatican, however, have focused on allowing whole groups to enter the Catholic Church while maintaining their own orders and liturgy.
The National Catholic Register reported in its June 1 issue, that “discussions at the Vatican on devising a possible structure for [TAC] to come into communion with Rome are understood to be nearing completion.” It added that during their May 5 meeting, Archbishop Rowan Williams asked Benedict that “any potential announcement be delayed until after the Lambeth Conference.”
However, a spokesman for Dr Williams told CEN the report was untrue. The TAC issue “didn’t come up with the Pope,” a press spokesman for the Archbishop said.
The Rt Rev David Moyer, former president of Forward in Faith USA and a Bishop in TAC, also declined comment on the negotiations with Rome, stating only that “We in the TAC are on our knees for something positive to happen. We remain very hopeful.”
The Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt Rev Jack Iker --- who is currently in Rome on study leave --- told ReligiousIntelligence.com “conversations with TAC - and others - have taken place at high levels in the Vatican and that it is thought that the Pope is sympathetic to the dilemma of traditionalists in the Anglican way.”
However, no formal dialogue exists between TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity --- the Vatican agency tasked with ecumenical relations --- observers note. Those backing TAC’s cause for corporate reunion are found in other department, not directly charged with church relations.
Speculation on a possible Anglican enclave within the Catholic Church comes amidst a tightening of views on women bishops within the Church of England. One traditionalist leader speculated that the House of Bishops’ decision to go ahead with women bishops without providing safeguards for those opposed, may have been predicated on the calculation that the Catholic Church would resolve the women clergy issue for the Church of England.
However, one bishop told CEN the House of Bishops’ decision to proceed with women bishops was only by a majority, and he questioned whether two thirds could be found on a final vote “if it provides no safeguards.”
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Group Calls for Separation from Anglican Communion
By David W. Virtue
6/5/2008
Virtue on Line
The group claims the Archbishop of Canterbury "shares that same disregard for Scriptural authority that is evident in The Episcopal Church."
NEW YORK (Virtue On Line) - A group of influential global Evangelical Anglicans believes that the Anglican Communion is fatally flawed and that there must be a clear and decisive separation from the See of Canterbury with the formation of a new Communion that is global in scope and truly Anglican in doctrine.
"Anything less will leave faithful Anglicans throughout the world as unwilling collaborators in a counterfeit Communion which makes a virtue out of the toleration of teaching contrary to scripture, is rife and ingrained with such false teaching and is led by an Archbishop of Canterbury who himself so teaches."
"Freedom from the hegemony of the Anglican Communion's pretended fellowship, with all the compromises and distractions it entails, is imperative if those Churches of the Communion which have not abandoned the sovereign authority of Scripture are to be free to develop that true communion and fellowship which has at its heart the transforming power of the gospel," say the writers representing themselves under the umbrella of the The Society for the Propagation of Reformed Evangelical Anglican Doctrine (SPREAD)
In a paper titled "COUNTERFEIT COMMUNION AND THE TRUTH THAT SETS FREE", the writers say that there are now two distinct religions in One Communion - one is a revisionist Anglicanism which has adopted contemporary Western humanism and its sceptical assumptions about the Bible while retaining a veneer of religiosity.
The other is the Anglican reformed catholic faith, wrought in the Church of England during the Protestant Reformation and defined by the Church of England's Articles of Religion, 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the 1662 Ordinal.
"The agonizing of recent years about Anglican identity, the tortuous consultations of the Windsor Covenant process and the chronic (and seemingly calculated) ambiguity of many statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth establishment all bear witness to the drift of the Anglican Churches of North America and the British Isles, and those of a similar Anglo-American mindset in the Southern hemisphere, away from historic confessional Anglicanism."
The writers point to doctrinal confusion in the Anglican Communion over the approval of same gender sexual relationships. "The abandonment of biblical sexual morality is not a minor ethical aberration but a growth now visible having been rooted in many years of doctrinal decay."
The writers blame the Archbishop of Canterbury, because, they say, he shares that same disregard for Scriptural authority that is evident in The Episcopal Church.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury is in no position to exercise spiritual leadership and hopelessly compromises the ability of the present Anglican Communion to resolve a crisis which continues to intensify, most obviously in North America with its growing exodus of orthodox congregations to overseas jurisdictions."
The writers say Dr. Williams is inconsistent. "You cannot accuse others of disobeying the scriptures on homosexuality while you yourselves are disobeying equally clear commands of scripture to avoid such false teachers."
The writers argue that within the mother Church of England the erosion of orthodoxy has been less dramatic, but equally serious. "A survey in 2002 found that a third of the Church's clergy doubted or disbelieved in the physical resurrection and only half were convinced of the truth of the virgin birth. As the recent history of North American Anglicanism all too clearly demonstrates, once the creeds have been emptied of shared meaning, biblical morality shares a similar fate.
"This process is already well under way in England. In July 2005, the English House of Bishops gave their support to the British Government's legislation creating Civil Partnerships, which was explicitly designed for those in same gender sexual relationships and gave such partnerships a legal status virtually indistinguishable from marriage. Clergy of the Church of England were allowed to enter such partnerships on the rather improbable, and certainly unenforceable, condition of abstinence. "
"The Communion-Breaking Significance of Approving Same Gender Sexual Relationships cannot be treated simply as a matter of sexual ethics within an encompassing theological orthodoxy, but is symptomatic of a fundamental rejection of biblical authority which strikes at the very heart of Anglican identity."
WILLIAMS A FALSE TEACHER
"We must ask - is there any reason why this admirable biblical logic should not be applied to the Anglican Communion as a whole? If attendance at Lambeth is in contravention of the clear commands of Scripture to avoid false teachers, then on what grounds is it still possible to describe oneself as being in communion with them, especially when the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has the power to declare who is in communion and who is not, is himself a false teacher?"
"Since being in communion with such teachers clearly violates Scripture, all those Churches, which seek to be in submission to the authority of Scripture, should break from the Anglican Communion forthwith."
"To remain in communion is to legitimize, or at least to hold as something indifferent, that which imperils eternal salvation by treating same gender sexual relationships as consecrated - ordaining as priests/presbyters and consecrating as bishops those engaged in such conduct and blessing same sex unions."
"Many church leaders seem to have lost their capacity to recognize this shocking reversal for what it really is; the exchange of natural sexual relationships for unnatural, is nothing less than the mark of a culture which is under divine judgment because it has radically rejected the Creator God (Romans 1:26). And this is the practice false teachers seek to sanctify."
"The essential meaning of communion is relationship, a shared fellowship which is often referred to as maintained by the 'bonds of affection'. True communion is a gift of God's grace which is animated by the Holy Spirit, but it is never independent of the truth of Scripture."
"A communion which maintains relationship with those who persist in the radical and unrepented rejection of biblical authority has become a counterfeit communion. It becomes an exercise in idolatry as its own continued existence is elevated above faithfulness to the Word of God which brought it into being."
The writers say that some conservatively minded Anglicans are reluctant to break their ties with the Anglican Communion because of the unexamined assumption that the Anglican Faith is inseparable from the See of Canterbury and identical with the Anglican Communion.
"Since the Communion is a particularly English legacy of Britain's global influence and Empire, the link seems quite natural, but this association is now demonstrably false and fatally toxic."
They cite the Rev. Prof. Stephen Knoll who commented on the Anglican Communion's failure to exercise effective discipline of heretical members saying, "We must start by admitting that that Global Anglican Polity has leaned far too heavily on the benevolent patriarchy of the Established Church and the British Empire. The idea that a rapidly expanding body of Global South churches must be governed from an historic See dominated by a secular government and a compromised mother church is, to be blunt, a dangerous exercise in nostalgia."
They described the bewitchment as "insidious" because it dulls sensitivity to the Scriptural imperative to separate from false teachers.
"Instead it encourages the tolerance of such leaders in direct contradiction of the Risen Christ's warning to the Church in Thyatira which is rebuked because 'you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice immorality' (Revelation 2:20)."
"The result is a false orthodoxy based on process and the maintenance of institutional unity rather than a unity based on revealed biblical truth. Being 'Windsor compliant' is not a long- term guard against the remorseless advance of the revisionist Churches' destructive agenda and will undermine the capacity of participants to preserve the Anglican Faith. The advocates of anti-Scriptural teaching have time on their side and they know that the longer they can engage in dialogue the greater the chance they have of establishing their position."
"The ABC's call for the Anglican Communion to be made a 'safe place' for gay and lesbian people assumed that this could only be done by keeping the debate open - which of course makes the Communion an unsafe place for the gospel."
"Scripture warns us that 'false teaching spreads like gangrene.' Collusion leads to contagion. The middle way is an illusion. False teaching has its own malign spiritual dynamic and we urge that it is now so embedded in the structures of the Anglican Communion that amputation is the only remedy left."
6/5/2008
Virtue on Line
The group claims the Archbishop of Canterbury "shares that same disregard for Scriptural authority that is evident in The Episcopal Church."
NEW YORK (Virtue On Line) - A group of influential global Evangelical Anglicans believes that the Anglican Communion is fatally flawed and that there must be a clear and decisive separation from the See of Canterbury with the formation of a new Communion that is global in scope and truly Anglican in doctrine.
"Anything less will leave faithful Anglicans throughout the world as unwilling collaborators in a counterfeit Communion which makes a virtue out of the toleration of teaching contrary to scripture, is rife and ingrained with such false teaching and is led by an Archbishop of Canterbury who himself so teaches."
"Freedom from the hegemony of the Anglican Communion's pretended fellowship, with all the compromises and distractions it entails, is imperative if those Churches of the Communion which have not abandoned the sovereign authority of Scripture are to be free to develop that true communion and fellowship which has at its heart the transforming power of the gospel," say the writers representing themselves under the umbrella of the The Society for the Propagation of Reformed Evangelical Anglican Doctrine (SPREAD)
In a paper titled "COUNTERFEIT COMMUNION AND THE TRUTH THAT SETS FREE", the writers say that there are now two distinct religions in One Communion - one is a revisionist Anglicanism which has adopted contemporary Western humanism and its sceptical assumptions about the Bible while retaining a veneer of religiosity.
The other is the Anglican reformed catholic faith, wrought in the Church of England during the Protestant Reformation and defined by the Church of England's Articles of Religion, 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the 1662 Ordinal.
"The agonizing of recent years about Anglican identity, the tortuous consultations of the Windsor Covenant process and the chronic (and seemingly calculated) ambiguity of many statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth establishment all bear witness to the drift of the Anglican Churches of North America and the British Isles, and those of a similar Anglo-American mindset in the Southern hemisphere, away from historic confessional Anglicanism."
The writers point to doctrinal confusion in the Anglican Communion over the approval of same gender sexual relationships. "The abandonment of biblical sexual morality is not a minor ethical aberration but a growth now visible having been rooted in many years of doctrinal decay."
The writers blame the Archbishop of Canterbury, because, they say, he shares that same disregard for Scriptural authority that is evident in The Episcopal Church.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury is in no position to exercise spiritual leadership and hopelessly compromises the ability of the present Anglican Communion to resolve a crisis which continues to intensify, most obviously in North America with its growing exodus of orthodox congregations to overseas jurisdictions."
The writers say Dr. Williams is inconsistent. "You cannot accuse others of disobeying the scriptures on homosexuality while you yourselves are disobeying equally clear commands of scripture to avoid such false teachers."
The writers argue that within the mother Church of England the erosion of orthodoxy has been less dramatic, but equally serious. "A survey in 2002 found that a third of the Church's clergy doubted or disbelieved in the physical resurrection and only half were convinced of the truth of the virgin birth. As the recent history of North American Anglicanism all too clearly demonstrates, once the creeds have been emptied of shared meaning, biblical morality shares a similar fate.
"This process is already well under way in England. In July 2005, the English House of Bishops gave their support to the British Government's legislation creating Civil Partnerships, which was explicitly designed for those in same gender sexual relationships and gave such partnerships a legal status virtually indistinguishable from marriage. Clergy of the Church of England were allowed to enter such partnerships on the rather improbable, and certainly unenforceable, condition of abstinence. "
"The Communion-Breaking Significance of Approving Same Gender Sexual Relationships cannot be treated simply as a matter of sexual ethics within an encompassing theological orthodoxy, but is symptomatic of a fundamental rejection of biblical authority which strikes at the very heart of Anglican identity."
WILLIAMS A FALSE TEACHER
"We must ask - is there any reason why this admirable biblical logic should not be applied to the Anglican Communion as a whole? If attendance at Lambeth is in contravention of the clear commands of Scripture to avoid false teachers, then on what grounds is it still possible to describe oneself as being in communion with them, especially when the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has the power to declare who is in communion and who is not, is himself a false teacher?"
"Since being in communion with such teachers clearly violates Scripture, all those Churches, which seek to be in submission to the authority of Scripture, should break from the Anglican Communion forthwith."
"To remain in communion is to legitimize, or at least to hold as something indifferent, that which imperils eternal salvation by treating same gender sexual relationships as consecrated - ordaining as priests/presbyters and consecrating as bishops those engaged in such conduct and blessing same sex unions."
"Many church leaders seem to have lost their capacity to recognize this shocking reversal for what it really is; the exchange of natural sexual relationships for unnatural, is nothing less than the mark of a culture which is under divine judgment because it has radically rejected the Creator God (Romans 1:26). And this is the practice false teachers seek to sanctify."
"The essential meaning of communion is relationship, a shared fellowship which is often referred to as maintained by the 'bonds of affection'. True communion is a gift of God's grace which is animated by the Holy Spirit, but it is never independent of the truth of Scripture."
"A communion which maintains relationship with those who persist in the radical and unrepented rejection of biblical authority has become a counterfeit communion. It becomes an exercise in idolatry as its own continued existence is elevated above faithfulness to the Word of God which brought it into being."
The writers say that some conservatively minded Anglicans are reluctant to break their ties with the Anglican Communion because of the unexamined assumption that the Anglican Faith is inseparable from the See of Canterbury and identical with the Anglican Communion.
"Since the Communion is a particularly English legacy of Britain's global influence and Empire, the link seems quite natural, but this association is now demonstrably false and fatally toxic."
They cite the Rev. Prof. Stephen Knoll who commented on the Anglican Communion's failure to exercise effective discipline of heretical members saying, "We must start by admitting that that Global Anglican Polity has leaned far too heavily on the benevolent patriarchy of the Established Church and the British Empire. The idea that a rapidly expanding body of Global South churches must be governed from an historic See dominated by a secular government and a compromised mother church is, to be blunt, a dangerous exercise in nostalgia."
They described the bewitchment as "insidious" because it dulls sensitivity to the Scriptural imperative to separate from false teachers.
"Instead it encourages the tolerance of such leaders in direct contradiction of the Risen Christ's warning to the Church in Thyatira which is rebuked because 'you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice immorality' (Revelation 2:20)."
"The result is a false orthodoxy based on process and the maintenance of institutional unity rather than a unity based on revealed biblical truth. Being 'Windsor compliant' is not a long- term guard against the remorseless advance of the revisionist Churches' destructive agenda and will undermine the capacity of participants to preserve the Anglican Faith. The advocates of anti-Scriptural teaching have time on their side and they know that the longer they can engage in dialogue the greater the chance they have of establishing their position."
"The ABC's call for the Anglican Communion to be made a 'safe place' for gay and lesbian people assumed that this could only be done by keeping the debate open - which of course makes the Communion an unsafe place for the gospel."
"Scripture warns us that 'false teaching spreads like gangrene.' Collusion leads to contagion. The middle way is an illusion. False teaching has its own malign spiritual dynamic and we urge that it is now so embedded in the structures of the Anglican Communion that amputation is the only remedy left."
Traditional Anglicans Coming Home?
By Randy Sly
6/7/2008
Catholic Online
Is a Vatican decision on a full-communion request from the Traditional Anglican Communion coming after the upcoming Lambeth Conference?
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – In October of 2007 the College of Bishops for the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) unanimously decided to seek communion with the Roman Catholic Church and dispatched a letter to the Vatican verbalizing their request.
According to Bishop John Hepworth, Primate of the TAC, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith received the official letter cordially when it was presented.
On Friday, David Virtue reported on Virtueonline.com that the Church of England Newspaper learned from Rome that decision concerning the TAC might come sometime after the Lambeth Conference, which will be held July 16 – August 3, 2008.
Speculation has been that the decision to wait until after the conference came from the recent talks held between the Holy Father and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The Archbishop, however, has stated clearly that the issue of the TAC did not even come up in their conversation.
While the letter has been delivered from the Traditional Anglican Communion, no formal dialog currently exists between the TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity – one of the main ecumenical arms of the Church. Further, no actual response from the Vatican to the TAC has been confirmed, leaving many to suspect that the TAC may be getting ahead of itself on how quickly such a request will be acted upon.
The imminence of a decision by Rome has been heralded on more than one occasion since last October underscoring the success with which the TAC is moving forward. These previous rumors and news articles circulating the web and diocesan newspapers did not prove accurate.
Various interpretations exist as to how this union would work out, but the basic request from the TAC involves full communion while maintaining their structure and liturgies as Anglo-Catholics.
One major sticking point for many who have reviewed the initiative is the request for “sui juris” (lit: “of one’s own right”) classification, which means that the bishops would maintain their authority and rights of their churches.
Those who have been watching this process unfold from the Catholic side indicate that the idea of maintaining the current polity and leaders of the Traditional Anglican Communion would be an unusual concession for many reasons, not the least of which is the issue of married bishops. “While a married priesthood is not unknown in the Church,” one priest commented, “a married Episcopate is not found in either Orthodoxy or the Catholic Church.”
In surveying of a number of blogs, even those within the Traditional Anglican Communion are not exactly clear on the process or end result. Some indicated that they would not be “absorbed but united” with the Church, so they really wouldn’t be converting to the Roman Catholic Faith.
Still others see a fully formed Anglican Rite quite similar to the Eastern Rite Byzantines or Melkites. While yet another set of voices still take issue with some essential Catholic doctrines and dogmas, indicating that they are not yet sure about the whole idea of full communion.
The Traditional Anglican Communion was formed in 1990 by twelve groups from the “Continuing Church Movement” of separated Anglicans, with Archbishop Louis Falk, of the Anglican Church in America, elected as the first primate. Archbishop John Hepworth, of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, succeeded him as Primate in 2002. Currently, the Communion has over 400,000 members.
Those churches, which currently constitute the TAC, include:
• The Anglican Church in Southern Africa - Traditional Rite
• The Church of Umzi Wase Tiyopia (Africa)
• The Continuing Anglican Church in Zambia
• The Anglican Church in America
• The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
• The Missionary Diocese of Central America
• The Missionary Diocese of Puerto Rico
• The Anglican Church of India
• The Orthodox Church of Pakistan
• The Nippon Kirisuto Sei Ko Kai (Japan)
• The Anglican Catholic Church of Australia
• The Church of Torres Strait (Australia)
• The Traditional Anglican Church (England)
• The Church of Ireland - Traditional Rite
This is only a small number of those denominations that currently exist and claim an Anglican heritage yet no official connection to the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Anglican Communion.
The Messenger Journal of the Traditional Anglican Communion published a letter sent to TAC people and Roman Catholics in several countries, which also contained excerpts from their letter from Rome:
Seventeen years ago, just after a group of Anglican refugees had banded together as the “Traditional Anglican Communion”, its leaders met in Rome to talk unity with the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.
On 9th October last I returned to Rome with Bishops Mercer and Wilkinson… This time we met with the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body appointed by the Holy See to receive applications for “Corporate Reunion” from churches that are not in Communion with the Holy See.
This time, we carried to the Holy See a letter signed by the Bishops and Vicars General of the Traditional Anglican Communion in the venerable church of Saint Agatha in Portsmouth, England, where we had just completed a powerful Plenary Meeting.
The letter rehearses the long and frustrating history of attempts to unite (in the words of Paul VI) the “church of Rome and the church of Canterbury”. It dwells on the reaction of those who dreamed that at last Anglicans were to become “Anglican Catholics” as the Anglican Communion took step after step to distance itself from the unity that had been promised.
(From the letter to Rome)
On Communion:
“a worldwide community of Anglican Christians has united under the name “The Traditional Anglican Communion” for three main purposes:
To identify, reaffirm and consolidate in its community the elements… conduct that mark the Church of Christ…
To seek as a body full and visible communion, particularly eucharistic communion, in Christ, with the Roman Catholic Church..
To achieve such communion while maintaining those revered traditions… that constitute the cherished and centuries-old heritage of Anglican communities throughout the world
On acceptance of the ministry of the bishop of Rome:
We accept the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, which is a ministry of teaching and discerning the faith and a “perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity” and understand this ministry is essential to the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
On acceptance of the catholic faith
“We accept that the most complete and authentic expression and application of the catholic faith in this moment of time is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…”
And their appeal to the Church
“Driven by these realizations, which we must now in good conscience bring to the attention of the Holy See, we seek a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See, at once treasuring the full expression of catholic faith and treasuring our tradition within which we have come to this moment. We seek the guidance of the Holy See as to the fulfillment of these our desires and those of the churches in which we have been called to serve.”
Anglican-Roman unity is not a new idea. In 1966 Archbishop Michael Ramsey met with Pope Paul VI to begin dialog at the Basilica of St. Paul Beyond the Walls. As a sign of the desire for unity the Pope took his papal ring and put it on the finger of Michael Ramsey. He also called the Anglican Communion “our dear sister church” and talked of Anglicanism being “united not absorbed.”
The 1968 Lambeth Conference affirmed the Archbishop’s actions and the work of the new Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission. In the years since, however, the Anglican Communion has moved too far afield in women’s ordination and other issues for the work of unity to continue.
The TAC may be picking up where earlier Anglicans have left off.
6/7/2008
Catholic Online
Is a Vatican decision on a full-communion request from the Traditional Anglican Communion coming after the upcoming Lambeth Conference?
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – In October of 2007 the College of Bishops for the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) unanimously decided to seek communion with the Roman Catholic Church and dispatched a letter to the Vatican verbalizing their request.
According to Bishop John Hepworth, Primate of the TAC, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith received the official letter cordially when it was presented.
On Friday, David Virtue reported on Virtueonline.com that the Church of England Newspaper learned from Rome that decision concerning the TAC might come sometime after the Lambeth Conference, which will be held July 16 – August 3, 2008.
Speculation has been that the decision to wait until after the conference came from the recent talks held between the Holy Father and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The Archbishop, however, has stated clearly that the issue of the TAC did not even come up in their conversation.
While the letter has been delivered from the Traditional Anglican Communion, no formal dialog currently exists between the TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity – one of the main ecumenical arms of the Church. Further, no actual response from the Vatican to the TAC has been confirmed, leaving many to suspect that the TAC may be getting ahead of itself on how quickly such a request will be acted upon.
The imminence of a decision by Rome has been heralded on more than one occasion since last October underscoring the success with which the TAC is moving forward. These previous rumors and news articles circulating the web and diocesan newspapers did not prove accurate.
Various interpretations exist as to how this union would work out, but the basic request from the TAC involves full communion while maintaining their structure and liturgies as Anglo-Catholics.
One major sticking point for many who have reviewed the initiative is the request for “sui juris” (lit: “of one’s own right”) classification, which means that the bishops would maintain their authority and rights of their churches.
Those who have been watching this process unfold from the Catholic side indicate that the idea of maintaining the current polity and leaders of the Traditional Anglican Communion would be an unusual concession for many reasons, not the least of which is the issue of married bishops. “While a married priesthood is not unknown in the Church,” one priest commented, “a married Episcopate is not found in either Orthodoxy or the Catholic Church.”
In surveying of a number of blogs, even those within the Traditional Anglican Communion are not exactly clear on the process or end result. Some indicated that they would not be “absorbed but united” with the Church, so they really wouldn’t be converting to the Roman Catholic Faith.
Still others see a fully formed Anglican Rite quite similar to the Eastern Rite Byzantines or Melkites. While yet another set of voices still take issue with some essential Catholic doctrines and dogmas, indicating that they are not yet sure about the whole idea of full communion.
The Traditional Anglican Communion was formed in 1990 by twelve groups from the “Continuing Church Movement” of separated Anglicans, with Archbishop Louis Falk, of the Anglican Church in America, elected as the first primate. Archbishop John Hepworth, of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, succeeded him as Primate in 2002. Currently, the Communion has over 400,000 members.
Those churches, which currently constitute the TAC, include:
• The Anglican Church in Southern Africa - Traditional Rite
• The Church of Umzi Wase Tiyopia (Africa)
• The Continuing Anglican Church in Zambia
• The Anglican Church in America
• The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
• The Missionary Diocese of Central America
• The Missionary Diocese of Puerto Rico
• The Anglican Church of India
• The Orthodox Church of Pakistan
• The Nippon Kirisuto Sei Ko Kai (Japan)
• The Anglican Catholic Church of Australia
• The Church of Torres Strait (Australia)
• The Traditional Anglican Church (England)
• The Church of Ireland - Traditional Rite
This is only a small number of those denominations that currently exist and claim an Anglican heritage yet no official connection to the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Anglican Communion.
The Messenger Journal of the Traditional Anglican Communion published a letter sent to TAC people and Roman Catholics in several countries, which also contained excerpts from their letter from Rome:
Seventeen years ago, just after a group of Anglican refugees had banded together as the “Traditional Anglican Communion”, its leaders met in Rome to talk unity with the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.
On 9th October last I returned to Rome with Bishops Mercer and Wilkinson… This time we met with the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body appointed by the Holy See to receive applications for “Corporate Reunion” from churches that are not in Communion with the Holy See.
This time, we carried to the Holy See a letter signed by the Bishops and Vicars General of the Traditional Anglican Communion in the venerable church of Saint Agatha in Portsmouth, England, where we had just completed a powerful Plenary Meeting.
The letter rehearses the long and frustrating history of attempts to unite (in the words of Paul VI) the “church of Rome and the church of Canterbury”. It dwells on the reaction of those who dreamed that at last Anglicans were to become “Anglican Catholics” as the Anglican Communion took step after step to distance itself from the unity that had been promised.
(From the letter to Rome)
On Communion:
“a worldwide community of Anglican Christians has united under the name “The Traditional Anglican Communion” for three main purposes:
To identify, reaffirm and consolidate in its community the elements… conduct that mark the Church of Christ…
To seek as a body full and visible communion, particularly eucharistic communion, in Christ, with the Roman Catholic Church..
To achieve such communion while maintaining those revered traditions… that constitute the cherished and centuries-old heritage of Anglican communities throughout the world
On acceptance of the ministry of the bishop of Rome:
We accept the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, which is a ministry of teaching and discerning the faith and a “perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity” and understand this ministry is essential to the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
On acceptance of the catholic faith
“We accept that the most complete and authentic expression and application of the catholic faith in this moment of time is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…”
And their appeal to the Church
“Driven by these realizations, which we must now in good conscience bring to the attention of the Holy See, we seek a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See, at once treasuring the full expression of catholic faith and treasuring our tradition within which we have come to this moment. We seek the guidance of the Holy See as to the fulfillment of these our desires and those of the churches in which we have been called to serve.”
Anglican-Roman unity is not a new idea. In 1966 Archbishop Michael Ramsey met with Pope Paul VI to begin dialog at the Basilica of St. Paul Beyond the Walls. As a sign of the desire for unity the Pope took his papal ring and put it on the finger of Michael Ramsey. He also called the Anglican Communion “our dear sister church” and talked of Anglicanism being “united not absorbed.”
The 1968 Lambeth Conference affirmed the Archbishop’s actions and the work of the new Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission. In the years since, however, the Anglican Communion has moved too far afield in women’s ordination and other issues for the work of unity to continue.
The TAC may be picking up where earlier Anglicans have left off.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Traditionalists wait for Vatican ruling
The Church of England Newspaper
June 6, 2008
AN ANNOUNCEMENT on the Vatican 's relationship with the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) may be made following the July 16-Aug 3 Lambeth Conference, sources in Rome tell The Church of England Newspaper.
Leaders of TAC, home to over 400,000 Anglo-Catholics who have left the Episcopal and Anglican churches over the past thirty years, have been in talks with the Vatican over creating an Anglican-rite enclave under the authority of the Bishop of Rome.
While the curia under Pope John Paul II had opposed attempts to bring Anglicans en masse into the Roman Catholic fold, under Benedict XVI the Vatican appears to have adopted a different line. Anglicans wishing to be received into the Catholic Church are welcome to do so, as individuals, rather than as part of a larger ecclesial body. The talks between TAC and Vatican , however, have focused on allowing whole groups to enter the Catholic Church while maintaining their own orders and liturgy.
The National Catholic Register reported that "discussions at the Vatican on devising a possible structure for [TAC] to come into communion with Rome are understood to be nearing completion." It added that during their May 5 meeting, Archbishop Rowan Williams asked Benedict that "any potential announcement be delayed until after the Lambeth Conference."
However, a spokesman for Dr Williams told CEN the report was untrue. The TAC issue "didn't come up with the Pope," a press spokesman for the Archbishop said.
The Rt Rev David Moyer, former president of Forward in Faith USA and a Bishop in TAC, also declined to comment on the negotiations with Rome , stating only that "We in the TAC are on our knees for something positive to happen.We remain very hopeful."
The Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt Rev Jack Iker -- who is currently in Rome on study leave -- told The Church of England Newspaper "conversations with TAC - and others-have taken place at high levels in the Vatican and that it is thought that the Pope is sympathetic to the dilemma of traditionalists in the Anglican way."
However, no formal dialogue exists between TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity -- the Vatican agency tasked with ecumenical relations.
Speculation on a possible Anglican enclave within the Catholic Church comes amidst a tightening of views on women bishops within the Church of England. One traditionalist leader speculated that the
House of Bishops' decision to go ahead with women bishops without providing safeguards for those opposed, may have been predicated on the calculation that the Catholic Church would resolve the women clergy issue for the Church of England.
June 6, 2008
AN ANNOUNCEMENT on the Vatican 's relationship with the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) may be made following the July 16-Aug 3 Lambeth Conference, sources in Rome tell The Church of England Newspaper.
Leaders of TAC, home to over 400,000 Anglo-Catholics who have left the Episcopal and Anglican churches over the past thirty years, have been in talks with the Vatican over creating an Anglican-rite enclave under the authority of the Bishop of Rome.
While the curia under Pope John Paul II had opposed attempts to bring Anglicans en masse into the Roman Catholic fold, under Benedict XVI the Vatican appears to have adopted a different line. Anglicans wishing to be received into the Catholic Church are welcome to do so, as individuals, rather than as part of a larger ecclesial body. The talks between TAC and Vatican , however, have focused on allowing whole groups to enter the Catholic Church while maintaining their own orders and liturgy.
The National Catholic Register reported that "discussions at the Vatican on devising a possible structure for [TAC] to come into communion with Rome are understood to be nearing completion." It added that during their May 5 meeting, Archbishop Rowan Williams asked Benedict that "any potential announcement be delayed until after the Lambeth Conference."
However, a spokesman for Dr Williams told CEN the report was untrue. The TAC issue "didn't come up with the Pope," a press spokesman for the Archbishop said.
The Rt Rev David Moyer, former president of Forward in Faith USA and a Bishop in TAC, also declined to comment on the negotiations with Rome , stating only that "We in the TAC are on our knees for something positive to happen.We remain very hopeful."
The Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt Rev Jack Iker -- who is currently in Rome on study leave -- told The Church of England Newspaper "conversations with TAC - and others-have taken place at high levels in the Vatican and that it is thought that the Pope is sympathetic to the dilemma of traditionalists in the Anglican way."
However, no formal dialogue exists between TAC and the Congregation for Promoting Christian Unity -- the Vatican agency tasked with ecumenical relations.
Speculation on a possible Anglican enclave within the Catholic Church comes amidst a tightening of views on women bishops within the Church of England. One traditionalist leader speculated that the
House of Bishops' decision to go ahead with women bishops without providing safeguards for those opposed, may have been predicated on the calculation that the Catholic Church would resolve the women clergy issue for the Church of England.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
California Marriage Amendment Approved by Secretary of State for November Ballot
WASHINGTON, June 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Alliance for Marriage Foundation today celebrated the efforts of California voters for successfully placing the California Marriage Amendment on the November ballot.
The state constitutional amendment would define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman" if successful, and would overturn the recent California Supreme Court decision legalizing "same-sex" marriage.
"The future of marriage in California should be determined among the 36 million residents of the State of California -- not by the personal, closed-door deliberation of seven judges," said Rev. Sam Rodriguez, Jr., an Advisory Board Member of the Alliance for Marriage Foundation.
The California Supreme Court last month struck-down the state's democratically-approved Proposition 22, the California Defense of Marriage Act, which statutorily defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
"In 2000, the Latino community played a determining, critical role in approving Proposition 22 at the ballot box," said Rodriguez. "As the largest "minority" community in California, the Latino community holds the key to protecting marriage in California - and preventing the attack on marriage here from having national fallout."
"For several decades, America has been wandering in a wilderness of social problems caused by family disintegration," added Rodriguez. "Tragically, as bad as our current situation may be, it could soon become dramatically worse. This is because California courts and the legislature are poised to erase the legal road map for marriage and the family from state law."
During the petition effort to place the Amendment on the ballot, Californians for Marriage, an all Latino-led coalition organized by the Alliance for Marriage Foundation, delivered signatures in support of the California Marriage Amendment, and is poised to fill a pivotal role in the ballot campaign this fall.
Members of Californians for Marriage include Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Jessie Miranda, Alianza Ministerial Evangelica Nacional, Dr. David Lazo, Church of Power, Dr. Sergio Navarrette, Assemblies of God, Pacific Latin, and Rev. Gilbert Montelongo, Tabernacle of Praise.
The Alliance for Marriage Foundation is a non- partisan, multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy -- the former DC Delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.
Christian Newswire
The state constitutional amendment would define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman" if successful, and would overturn the recent California Supreme Court decision legalizing "same-sex" marriage.
"The future of marriage in California should be determined among the 36 million residents of the State of California -- not by the personal, closed-door deliberation of seven judges," said Rev. Sam Rodriguez, Jr., an Advisory Board Member of the Alliance for Marriage Foundation.
The California Supreme Court last month struck-down the state's democratically-approved Proposition 22, the California Defense of Marriage Act, which statutorily defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
"In 2000, the Latino community played a determining, critical role in approving Proposition 22 at the ballot box," said Rodriguez. "As the largest "minority" community in California, the Latino community holds the key to protecting marriage in California - and preventing the attack on marriage here from having national fallout."
"For several decades, America has been wandering in a wilderness of social problems caused by family disintegration," added Rodriguez. "Tragically, as bad as our current situation may be, it could soon become dramatically worse. This is because California courts and the legislature are poised to erase the legal road map for marriage and the family from state law."
During the petition effort to place the Amendment on the ballot, Californians for Marriage, an all Latino-led coalition organized by the Alliance for Marriage Foundation, delivered signatures in support of the California Marriage Amendment, and is poised to fill a pivotal role in the ballot campaign this fall.
Members of Californians for Marriage include Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Jessie Miranda, Alianza Ministerial Evangelica Nacional, Dr. David Lazo, Church of Power, Dr. Sergio Navarrette, Assemblies of God, Pacific Latin, and Rev. Gilbert Montelongo, Tabernacle of Praise.
The Alliance for Marriage Foundation is a non- partisan, multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy -- the former DC Delegate who organized the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.
Christian Newswire
Monday, June 02, 2008
California Marriage Amendment Qualifies for November Ballot - The People Will Decide
SACRAMENTO, June 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Secretary of State Debra Bowen today certified the eighth initiative for the November 4, 2008, General Election ballot. The measure would amend California's Constitution to define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman."
"The response from the people of this state has been unprecedented in support of marriage's legacy, by responding with an all-out volunteer signature campaign," said Ron Prentice, CEO of the California Family Council and Chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com coalition sponsoring the amendment. "We're so grateful to the over 1.1 million voters who signed the marriage petition in time for the November election. Passing this amendment is the only way for the people to override the four supreme court judges who want to re-define marriage for our entire society."
In order to qualify for the ballot, the marriage definition measure needed 694,354 valid petition signatures, which is equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2006 General Election. The initiative proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures in an attempt to qualify the measure, and it qualified through the random sample signature check.
"The vast majority of research continues to state that California's voters favor keeping marriage as it is, protecting its historic definition between only a man and a woman. The November ballot will give opportunity for citizens to respond to the State Supreme Court's decision, by solidifying traditional marriage in the California Constitution. Californians are a tolerant people. But we also know that marriage is between a man and a woman, as the voters reaffirmed just a few years ago." stated Prentice.
California Family Council (CFC) is a family policy council with offices in Sacramento and Riverside. Ron Prentice, CEO chairs the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. Phone: 951.354.8362.
Christian Newswire
"The response from the people of this state has been unprecedented in support of marriage's legacy, by responding with an all-out volunteer signature campaign," said Ron Prentice, CEO of the California Family Council and Chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com coalition sponsoring the amendment. "We're so grateful to the over 1.1 million voters who signed the marriage petition in time for the November election. Passing this amendment is the only way for the people to override the four supreme court judges who want to re-define marriage for our entire society."
In order to qualify for the ballot, the marriage definition measure needed 694,354 valid petition signatures, which is equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2006 General Election. The initiative proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures in an attempt to qualify the measure, and it qualified through the random sample signature check.
"The vast majority of research continues to state that California's voters favor keeping marriage as it is, protecting its historic definition between only a man and a woman. The November ballot will give opportunity for citizens to respond to the State Supreme Court's decision, by solidifying traditional marriage in the California Constitution. Californians are a tolerant people. But we also know that marriage is between a man and a woman, as the voters reaffirmed just a few years ago." stated Prentice.
California Family Council (CFC) is a family policy council with offices in Sacramento and Riverside. Ron Prentice, CEO chairs the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. Phone: 951.354.8362.
Christian Newswire
New Poll Finds Majority of Californians Support Traditional Marriage
SACRAMENTO, June 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Capitol Resource Institute announced today the results of a survey that indicates that more than 56% of Californians oppose homosexual marriage.
As part of a nationwide survey in the battleground states regarding the presidential election the following question was asked: Do you agree that only marriage between one man and one woman should be legal and binding in America? California answers this question "yes" 56.20%, and "no" 43.80%.
"We are not surprised by these results," states Karen England, Capitol Resource Institute Executive Director. "The people of California understand the judges overstepped their judicial boundaries. California has granted the most sweeping 'equality' laws in the nation. But the people of California have drawn the line at hijacking the term 'marriage' to describe these unions."
A Field Poll released last week reported that 51% of Californians support homosexual marriage. "This accurate new poll directly asks respondents' opinion of the definition of traditional marriage. Contrary to the vague Field Poll, this polling accurately reflects the true sentiment of the electorate," stated England.
The survey was completed by ccAdvertising of Herndon, Virginia in one 24-hour period ending at 7:00 p.m on May 30, 2008, with 528 California respondents (out of 7,613 respondents to the Traditional Marriage Question in the multi-state survey), and was statistically balanced by population density within each battleground state surveyed. The national survey results will be released on Wednesday.
Artificial intelligence call (AIC) or automated surveys like this one have proven to be more accurate than those using a live caller as noted in a Daily Kos post last week. "The reality is that Robo-pollsters like Survey USA and Rasmussen have had the best track record the past few election cycles." (Daily Kos May 28, 2008.)
Christian Newswire
As part of a nationwide survey in the battleground states regarding the presidential election the following question was asked: Do you agree that only marriage between one man and one woman should be legal and binding in America? California answers this question "yes" 56.20%, and "no" 43.80%.
"We are not surprised by these results," states Karen England, Capitol Resource Institute Executive Director. "The people of California understand the judges overstepped their judicial boundaries. California has granted the most sweeping 'equality' laws in the nation. But the people of California have drawn the line at hijacking the term 'marriage' to describe these unions."
A Field Poll released last week reported that 51% of Californians support homosexual marriage. "This accurate new poll directly asks respondents' opinion of the definition of traditional marriage. Contrary to the vague Field Poll, this polling accurately reflects the true sentiment of the electorate," stated England.
The survey was completed by ccAdvertising of Herndon, Virginia in one 24-hour period ending at 7:00 p.m on May 30, 2008, with 528 California respondents (out of 7,613 respondents to the Traditional Marriage Question in the multi-state survey), and was statistically balanced by population density within each battleground state surveyed. The national survey results will be released on Wednesday.
Artificial intelligence call (AIC) or automated surveys like this one have proven to be more accurate than those using a live caller as noted in a Daily Kos post last week. "The reality is that Robo-pollsters like Survey USA and Rasmussen have had the best track record the past few election cycles." (Daily Kos May 28, 2008.)
Christian Newswire
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