The wife of the Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam has joined the Roman Catholic Church. Anita Henderson was formally received into the Roman Catholic Church by RC Bishop John Fleming on the evening of Sunday October 14th.She was accompanied by her husband, Richard, and their family in the private ceremony in Ballina, Co Mayo.
Mrs Henderson, whose father was a Church of Ireland rector, described the ceremony as 'the culmination of a long journey of spiritual searching' and added, "I feel under God that is what I am being called to do."
Her husband issued a joint statement with his Roman Catholic counterpart, saying that Anita "has our complete support in her choice of what she feels to be her spiritual home. Her decision, made after much heart searching, deserves the respect of us all and we trust that all people of goodwill will share in this. We commend her for her honesty and courage. She has our good wishes, the support of our prayers and our blessing."
"This is a time of unprecedented hospitality, friendship, and collaboration between our local churches. As these have developed, we have become increasingly aware of how much we have in common, and yet how distinctive the different traditions remain; how much in their variety they are especially suited to some, but not to others. We believe that such genuine and honest searching is a positive indicator in these times - and will not go unrewarded by the God we all strive to love and serve."
The bishops' statement has been criticised by Catholic World News commentator, Diogenes, for suggesting that one's choice of belief could be put on or discarded like an item of clothing.
"It's not Mrs. Henderson's dress that the two bishops are talking about. When they delicately observe that some things are 'especially suited to some, but not to others', they're referring to her new religion. She has embraced the Catholic faith - which teaches, among other things, that her husband's episcopal orders are invalid."
"Somewhere in this mix you'd like to think that someone - the Catholic bishop, the Anglican bishop, or the new Catholic convert - believes that a change in religious affiliation involves questions more fundamental and important than whether one is 'suited' to a particular 'tradition'."
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