Reports of the Anglican leader Rowan Williams’ liturgical celebration on Sunday in the Dominican Church of Santa Sabina in Rome seem to raise a number of issues. How can it be that an Anglican clergyman – with access to his own Anglican church building in Rome – can so publicly use a Catholic altar dressed in a chasuble and carrying a crosier? And what of the reportedly extraordinary participation of Catholic curial officials – “Canadian Fr Donald Bolen, an official at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity with responsibility for the Reformed churches, proclaimed the Gospel at the Mass after having received Archbishop Williams’ blessing”? Rowan Williams is an erudite man and surely knows the significance of this. And no doubt so too do those Catholics responsible for the celebration. But we are not in communion with Anglicans and it seems somewhat disingenuous if not scandalous so to blur the line between, a line defended over the centuries by the blood of the martyrs of England and Wales.
Whoever thought that it was a good idea for the Anglican leader to "celebrate Mass" in a Dominican Church in Rome really needs to explain it. With Anglican orders being invalid this is really a case of dress-up and play-acting and for curial officials to be involved it certainly appears quite scandalous. This is almost an "Assisi" moment, though I doubt the Pope had anything to do with it and I certainly hope it comes to his attention.
*Photo is from Catholic Press Photos of the actual event.
22 comments
Gee, I really don’t get why the SSPX doesn’t just jump on board with the whole post-conciliar Church!
As a traditionalist who is not an attendee of the SSPX but of an approved order of traditionalist priests, I keep hoping we are near a reconciliation. But stuff like this is just discouraging.
I don’t undersxtand how this was pulled over on Benedict. What message is he trying to send to young Catholics? I’m 26, and syncretistic crap like this is one of the reasons I left seminary. How can the Church expect anyone else to take it seriously when it treats its own Magisterial documents (Apostolicae Curae in this case) as a joke? If I show up at S. Sabina all dressed up will they let me say “mass” too? Come on.
This is not the way to actual progress. Things like this only stall and delay real reunification. Pretending everything’s all sunshine and roses between us is holding back the “ecumenical discussion” about which I’ve heard so much, but of which I’ve seen so little.
I’m sure Benedict will deal with this appropriately. As Jeff said, I don’t think he would have sanctioned this, had he known in the first place. He IS planning a trip into a country thathas multiple would-be assassins ready to hurt him. I think, if I were him, that’d be a little bit of a distraction.
Let him do his job, and pray for him.
And the English Martyrs died for what, again?
Pope Benedict will sure fix him! A good ole fashioned excomminication will teach those uppity Anglican’s a few things.
The nerve!
Instead of hoping it will come to the attention of the pope, is there anyway we can help it come to his attention?
As I recall, at Benedict’s accession he made a point of greeting the Orthodox visitors with a kiss of peace and the Anglicans with a handshake.
He knows.
Too much hyper, ultramontane prattling here. If Anglican orders are truly “null and void” then nothing whatosever happened here. Unless Rome knows something you don’t…….
While it was a bad idea as a whole, it was classy that that Dr. Williams veiled his crozier. Unless he just wanted to Steve Tyler it up…
Marco Polo wrote about how a “Muslim” ruler was found after his death to have a crucifix around his neck, implying that the “Muslim” had actually be a Catholic all along.
You say the Pope will do something, but history shows otherwise. When Madonna was putting herself on a cross, in Rome, against a Catholic church, no less, the Pope said, “someone should excommunicate her.” Someone? Don’t you mean maybe you, the Pope could/should???
the Pope said, “someone should excommunicate her.”
Got a source on that?
Got a source on that?
Nevermind. It was Cardinal Ersilio Tonino that said that. Anyway, I don’t think the Church usually bothers with someone who has completely apostasized, but I may be wrong.
The Church also would not excommunicate non-Catholics like the Anglicans involved here. As far as the people who allowed it, it is possible but unlikely and not strictly necessary. They do need to explain themselves and be corrected.
Which gets me back to my point: Solutions rather than speculations and armchair recriminations. Is there any way us lay folk can petition the pope (or at least someone high up) to address this matter?
“Too much hyper, ultramontane prattling here. If Anglican orders are truly “null and void” then nothing whatosever happened here. Unless Rome knows something you don’t…….”
I think it is a sure thing that Rome knows something we don’t. All will be make clear in the coming months, I am sure. God is in charge and all will work together that His will be done.
Faith! We needn’t sweat out the details, but must be true, faithful, prayerful,humble, and obedient.
Gah. Abp Williams just drives those Anglicans dipping their toes in the Tiber further away!
Y’all might have to deal with the simple fact that the ABP’s visit to Rome was too tightly scripted for anything to escape scrutiny. Furthermore, you should realize that even your most conservative clergy consider Apostolicae Curae a joke.
one of the comment showed in CWN, he said:
Until we built our own church, for several years, my Catholic parish held our Masses in Methodist and Episcopal churches (and an elementary school cafeteria). I think Catholics can extend the same Christian charity to Protestants to use our churches for their services.
you see, if Rowan william need to use our catholic churches to celebration his anglican eucharistic service, then is ok. rite??? but we must clearly understand that that’s a anglican service and not a Roman Catholic Mass.
pray to Papa…
Whoever thought that it was a good idea for the Anglican leader to “celebrate Mass” in a Dominican Church in Rome really needs to explain it.
It’s common practise, actually. The rector of my parish was given altar privs when he was visiting Rome a few years ago. He celebrated Mass as an Anglo-Catholic priest does on a daily basis. If a “run-of-the-mill” Anglican priest from America is given permission to celebrate Mass for himself and his brother priests, I fail to see why the same charitable courtesy extended to ++Rowan Cantuar is somehow a travesty.
But, then again, I’m an Anglo-Catholic who considers Anglican Orders valid and AC to be a farce…
-j
While it wasn’t strictly necessary for Abp. Williams to celebrate Holy Communion in the Dominican church — after all, there’s at least one Anglican church in Rome — Church authorities were probably just being generous with non-Catholics on a pilgrimage.
More ecumania-well if JPII the least allowed Hindu pagan worship at Fatima what the heck
I advise all here to read Saepius Officio, the reply of the Anglican Archbishops to Apostolicae Curae.