Just a quick heads-up to an excellent article by George Weigel addressing some of the issues facing Pope Benedict on his forthcoming trip to Britain. He begins:
Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to Great Britain next month will unfold along a pilgrim’s path metaphorically strewn with landmines. Headline-grabbing new atheists like Richard Dawkins, along with their allies in the international plaintiff’s bar, may try to have the pontiff arrested as an enabler of child abuse. More subtly, but just as falsely, homosexual activists and their allies will portray John Henry Newman, whom the Pope will beatify, as the patron saint of gay liberation. No challenge facing Benedict in Britain, however, will be greater than the challenge of re-framing the Anglican-Catholic ecumenical dialogue, which is on the verge of de facto extinction.For the rest of the article, see: When compromise trumps apostolic tradition
4 comments:
No challenge facing Benedict in Britain, however, will be greater than the challenge of re-framing the Anglican-Catholic ecumenical dialogue, which is on the verge of de facto extinction.
Blimey, that would be the least of my worries.
Nicolas Bellord
"Elements of sanctity, intelligence, and beauty have been nurtured in the Anglican Communion for more than four centuries by the work of the Holy Spirit, who distributes gifts freely, and not only within the confines of the Catholic Church. Thus there have been great Anglican theologians and noble Anglican martyrs in the Anglican Communion..."
The Holy Ghost does indeed distribute his gifts (or "grace" to use a Catholic term) outside the one true Church, but through individuals, not via the structures of schismatic, heretical, and sacramentally invalid ecclesial communities. Weigel is far from clear on that important distinction.
And who are these "noble Anglican martyrs" that he is talking about?
As usual with George Weigel, he scores half marks, making some accurate observations, but then going all wobbly. Shame.
"For Runcie advanced no theological arguments as to why apostolic tradition could be understood to authorize the innovation he and many of his Anglican colleagues proposed; rather, he cited the expanding roles of women in society as the crucial issue".
The old "law of man", then.
How very Anglican.
M
I think (and hope) that all this anti-pope posturing from people like Dawkins and Hitchens, might just be a head of steam. Usually, real attacks tend to come right out of the blue and are rarely predicted. I just think that by next month, they'll have talked themselves into apathy. Meanwhile, has everyone ordered their Papal flag off e-Bay ? Only £3.50. Hurry now. Stick it in your window and show your support for the Holy Father. If you can't make it to one of the events, get together with some friends and neighbours and watch it at home. It's not too late to organise a big screen in your parish hall or local community centre.
Someone should set up a Papal Visit Advent Calendar website. As you click on each day in the lead up to sept 19th, a saying of JHNewman/a quote from one of Pope Benedict's 3 encyclicals is revealed. The Bishop's website could consider this. School form tutors could log onto it first thing during registration each morning and encourage a positive build-up to 16th Sept.
I'm excited beyond reason about this visit and I believe this hope will snowball over the next three weeks.
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