Friday, October 24, 2008

Synod accused of ignoring ‘church catholic’

The English General Synod has been roundly accused by a "flying bishop" of being determined to "go against the corporate mind of the Church Catholic".

The accusation came from the Bishop of Beverley, the Rt Rev Martyn Jarrett, in a sermon at a Mass at St Alban's, Holborn, for members of Forward in Faith, the traditionalist Anglican body, who were attending their annual assembly in Westminster.

Bishop Jarrett said there was bound to be an "understandable degree of frustration and anger" among the Anglo-Catholics at the conference.

"For most of us, our Christian pilgrimage has been dominated throughout our lifetimes by what has rightly been described as Christ's great gift to his church --- the ecumenical movement.

"Never has there been a time when Christ's high priestly prayer that his church might be one has been so seriously heeded," he said.

And for Anglicans standing within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England there had, said Bishop Jarrett, been "ever-increasing hopes of reconciliation with the Holy See and with that full Catholic tradition that is firmly rooted in Christ himself."

But traditionalists had now "experienced a General Synod that is determined to go against the corporate mind of the Church Catholic," said Bishop Jarrett, in an obvious reference to its July vote on women bishops.

He added: "We appear to face a General Synod insistent on removing even the basic Catholic structures that might enable you and me to hold together as loyal members of the Church of England as we seek to remain faithful to our heritage and to our calling."
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(Source: RI)