Roman Catholics Welcome: A Response to the Vatican’s Move

On October 20 the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI had approved a measure to permit Anglican congregations and their married clergy to join the Roman Catholic Church while continuing to use their Anglican liturgy.

Some Episcopalians will leave to join Rome, but for every Episcopalian who joins Rome I suspect that thirty Roman Catholics will join the Episcopal Church. While the media is focusing on the Vatican’s recent overture, a much larger trend is going unnoticed.

The truth is that Roman Catholics and people from other faith backgrounds are very welcome at St. Thomas’ and other Episcopal churches. About half of those who have joined our church since 1995 were raised as Roman Catholics and have found a good spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

They have left Roman Catholicism for a variety of reasons including anger over scandals with pedophile clergy, upset with the annulment process and a growing sense that the Vatican is out of touch with modern realities. Many are frustrated with an aged, all male, hierarchical church governance, which is becoming increasingly conservative. They also bear unpleasant memories of stern nuns and authoritarian priests.

They have turned to the Episcopal Church to experience more freedom of thought and expression of religious belief, female and married clergy who understand the challenges they face. In many cases they have found vibrant churches offering fine worship, strong preaching, beautiful hymnody, biblical teaching, good education and opportunities for fellowship and service.

They find a democratic structure where clergy and laity share leadership responsibilities and learn about the Anglican via media which seeks compromise between extreme religious positions. They also get to know their clergy in smaller settings. Many Catholics have told me that they find the Catholic Archdiocese to be ultraconservative and are unhappy with the direction that Roman Catholicism is taking.

In the past the Vatican has allowed Episcopal clergy and parishes to join the Roman Catholic Church, and this was done on a case by case basis. Now the Vatican hopes that more Episcopal churches will be attracted to join Rome and use the Vatican-approved Book of Divine Worship based on our Book of Common Prayer.

Rome’s latest move followed secret meetings between disenchanted Anglican leaders and the Vatican in Rome. Regretfully, the Archbishop of Canterbury was informed of the Pope’s decision only hours before the press conference announced it to the world. This could pose challenges for future ecumenical dialogue.

Some Episcopalians will accept Rome’s latest offer, hoping to join a church where women and openly gay persons cannot be ordained. They are likely to discover that there are many Roman Catholic clergy who are gay, but not openly so. The difference between Episcopalians and Roman Catholics on this issue is one of honesty. Can clergy be honest and open about their sexual orientation? Rome says no. The Episcopal Church says yes.

There is also a question of authority and uniformity. Roman Catholics favor a centralized authority while Anglicans and most Protestant churches embrace a system where many decisions are made on a local level.

What is most distressing is that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have reversed the visionary work of Pope John XXIII and Vatican II. This has set Roman Catholicism back by decades, and left Roman Catholics governed by ultraconservative leaders who limit intellectual thought and suppress those who would challenge the Church’s direction.

Christianity always has been a messy endeavor. From the beginning, good people have argued over important issues. Time has revealed the truth. We Christians will once again sort ourselves out with God’s grace and help. As we do, I hope that the Vatican’s recent move will provide some Episcopalians with a fresh start. One thing is certain, we live in interesting times.

Faithfully yours,