Former Irish Anglican congregations ask to become Catholic
Three former Anglican congregations have asked to be received into the Roman Catholic Church, according to The Irish Catholic Newspaper.
by Jennifer Gold
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2007, 9:54 (GMT)
Three former Anglican congregations have asked to be received into the Roman Catholic Church, according to The Irish Catholic Newspaper.
Former Church of Ireland congregations in Down, Tyrone and Laois have asked the Vatican for "full, corporate, sacramental union" under the authority of the Pope, according to the newspaper.
A spokesman for the congregations has confirmed the developments, saying that the members of the traditional rite of the Church of Ireland did hope to be received into "full communion with the See of Rome".
At an October plenary meeting of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), the umbrella organisation for traditional Anglicans, the congregations decided to petition Rome for entry into the Roman Catholic Church.
According to a statement from the TAC, "The bishops and vicars-general unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union.
"The letter was signed solemnly by all the College and entrusted to the Primate and two bishops chosen by the College to be presented to the Holy See," the statement added, according to the BBC.
The traditional rite broke away from the Church of Ireland in 1991, after the House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland decided to start ordaining women.
It is considered extremely rare for entire Anglican communities to seek corporate communion with the Catholic Church, and the move will mean every member of the parish converting to Catholicism, as the parish effectively becomes part of the Catholic Church.
Copyright © 2007 Christian Today. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Have your say on this article
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 21:28 (GMT)
Welcome home!
virbots, Santa Clara, CA
Added: Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 15:38 (GMT)
As a former priest in the Anglican Church in America (Traditional Anglican Communion) and in response to whether or not the entire TAC (400,000 Anglicans on 6 continents) are seekeing reception by Rome, I would like to submit the following from the Messenger, the official newspaper of the TAC:
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ...
Most Recent 16th October 2007
Statement authorised by the TAC Primate
" The College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) met in Plenary Session in Portsmouth, England, in the first week of October 2007. The Bishops and Vicars-General unanimously agreed to the text of a letter to the See of Rome seeking full, corporate, sacramental union. The letter was signed solemnly by all the College and entrusted to the Primate and two bishops chosen by the College to be presented to the Holy See.
The letter was cordially received at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Primate of the TAC has agreed that no member of the College will give interviews until the Holy See has considered the letter and responded."
+ John
Welcome home brothers and sisters in Christ!!!
Graham, Virginia Beach, VA
Added: Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 1:51 (GMT)
Terry, I am quite sure that you're not Catholic. If you were, you'd realize that the Pope taught us that the Chuch has not the authority to ordain women. Never has and never will. Period and end of quote. I suggest that you "wake up and smell the slime" before pontificating on issues that you obviously have no knowledge of.
sprocket, houston texas
Added: Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 1:08 (GMT)
Maybe all Christian denominations ought to be praying for each other first and foremost, because the fight against Christianity has never been more blatant. And if others want to come home to the church that Jesus said the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against, then glory be to God.
Ray, Ohio, USA
Added: Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 20:44 (GMT)
Hey Terry, UK, the "foundation stone" is Peter! "Upon this Rock I will build my Church". How'd you miss that one? There is plenty of slime to go around but the key is the once defined, always true, Magisterial definitions of what is true, forever and all times. Trouble is most "Catholics" don't understand this anymore.
Bill Mulligan, Pottstown, PA, USA
Added: Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 19:53 (GMT)
For Terry,
Yes, Christ is the foundation stone - He passed authority (keys to the kingdom) to Simon whose name He changed to "Rock" "Peter." Peter carried the message into the "belly of the beast," Rome, where he was crucified and where he left his successor. The location is not important - the authoritative Church is. Christ left nothing else. Everything Christian that you have came from "The Church" that Christ entrusted to carry the message. The job of the 2000 year old Church is to make sure that the message stays the same. Think about it.
For the Irish Anglican Church,
Welcome home. You are very wanted and loved.
Scub, Hinkley, USA
Added: Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 17:46 (GMT)
I have followed this story for a couple weeks now. One thing is not clear to me.
These three Irish parishes are part of the TAC (Traditional Anglican Communion), which is an organization with parishes in many countries, in particular the US. The TAC was the body that petitioned Rome. But all the news articles are focusing on these three Irish parishes.
Did these three parishes send a separate, more emphatic request for re-union? Is their request separate from the TAC parishes inthe rest of the world?
Or is it simply that the press in Ireland picked up on this story before the press elsewhere?
Virgil, turin, italy
Added: Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 6:51 (GMT)
As John Paul II said, "The Church has no authority to ordain women". End of the story.
Brennis, USA
Added: Monday, October 29, 2007, 17:05 (GMT)
What will these Anglican dissidents do if a pope ok's the ordination of women? Go to the Orthodox churches? The foundation stone is Jesus Christ, not Rome or any denomination. Wake up and smell the slime!
Terry, London, UK
