The Long Division of Continuing Anglicans
At the joy filled moment when continuing Anglicans inaugurated the Anglican Church in North America, commonly known as ACNA, the wraith of women's ordination ambled among the attendees of the constitutional convention.
When, during the convention, the question of women's ordination was put to Robert William Duncan, the first Archbishop (Primate) of ACNA, a strangely familiar answer was given.
After the Anglican Church in North America’s (ACNA) momentous inaugural gathering, the verdict is out on whether the issue of women’s ordination will inhibit the budding alliance from moving forward.
“For those who believe the ordination of women to be a grave error, and for those who believe it scripturally justifiable . . . we should be in mission together until God sorts us out,” said (Robert) Duncan in last week’s opening address. “It is not perfect, but it is enough.”Since both human sexuality and the authority of Scripture are so central to ACNA’s formation in the first place, it seems unlikely that the issue of women priests won’t at some point cause the newly formed partnership to fracture.But Duncan stressed the importance of keeping unity — for the time being.He warned those celebrating their new unity to guard against old habits of infighting. Satan, he said, will try to use their differences over matters such as women's ordination to turn them against each other.
"He will try to lure us back to old ways and old hurts and old fights. Mark my words," he said, calling them to practice healing, forbearance and forgiveness.
There can be little hope for unity if there is not unity in the Truth. Truth delayed is a torpedo en route.Rt. Rev. William Ilgenfritz, MDAS Bishop Ordinary reported from the recent [ACNA] College of Bishops meeting on the Task Force Report on the Ordination of Women that the bishops requested a moratorium on the ordination of women to the priesthood in ACNA, as such ordinations are a divisive issue in ACNA. The request was rebuffed, he said.“Orthodox bishops were told to ‘love it or leave for Rome.’
Furthermore, the Primate of South Sudan secretly ordained women contrary to his own constitution and canons in direct defiance of the moratorium by GAFCON and kept it secret for two years.
Women’s ordination is not the only problem with ACNA.
Mr. Simon Dennerly, at the Anglicanorum Coetibus blog, documents the developments concerning the relationship between ACNA and the Missionary Diocese of All Saints (MDAS).
“Problems with the ACNA”: MDAS Synod Minutes
The Ordinariate brings the best of the noble Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony into communion with the Catholic Church, the Church that Jesus founded upon Saint Peter. Seekers might consider the fact that a missal, uniquely conceived to include the Anglican Patrimony, is now a treasure to be shared with the entire Catholic Church. Divine Worship: the Missal is a real and substantive expression of that Patrimony.
Through the Ordinariate and its Liturgy, God is giving Anglicans an(other) opportunity to say 'yes' to communion with the See of Peter established by Jesus Christ. Through the Ordinariate, God is giving cradle Catholics the opportunity to renew their understanding of the fundamental importance of the Sacred Liturgy to the life of every Catholic.
The liturgical renewal sought by the fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (Concilium Oecumenicum Vaticanum Secundum) is elegantly and authentically realized in the Ordinariate Mass.
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