When
Pope Benedict XVI made his historic visit to the U.K. back in
September, the images and message were all about peace, reconciliation
and understanding between churches and faiths.
His meeting with the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, on Sept. 17 was particularly
seen as part of the long healing process between the Anglican church and
the Vatican. Fast-forward seven weeks, and that process seems to have
shuddered to a halt.
On Nov. 8, five Church of England bishops announced
that they have "defected" and will convert to Catholicism — sparking
talk of the biggest crisis to hit the church since 1534, when Henry VIII
needed to swap wives without the Vatican's consent and broke away from
Rome.
Both the Pope and the Archbishop have been well aware of this simmering
split for some time, but chose not to publicly highlight it during the
papal visit, which was already being marred by demonstrations over
Benedict's attitude to homosexuals and women — two of the very issues
that have led to this latest fracture.
Indeed, the Pope had virtually ensured there would be defections by
clergy who are steadfastly opposed to the ordination of women bishops,
gay priests and gay marriage when, almost a year ago, he made it clear
he was ready to offer a deal to allow disaffected Anglicans to convert
to Catholicism without being forced to abandon all their traditions.
The
move was immediately branded as "poaching," with Williams expressing
his "concerns" over the way it was handled and the lack of consultation.
But is this the start of an irreparable schism within the church, with
large numbers of clergy and worshippers taking up the pope's offer —
described by one bishop as an offer they couldn't refuse?
Or is it a
minor crack that will see only a few hard-line traditionalists breaking
away, and perhaps allowing the rest to carry on in a more unified way?
The Archbishop appeared relatively relaxed over the affair when he
issued a short, simple statement on Monday noting his "regret" at the
bishops' decision.
"We wish them well in this next stage of their
service to the church," he added. "And I am grateful to them for their
faithful and devoted pastoral labors in the Church of England over so
many years."
But one of the bishops, John Broadhurst, told the Times of London
he believes there will be significant further defections amongst the
clergy and perhaps thousands of ordinary churchgoers.
"There are lots of
people interested," he said.
"Some are actively looking at it. A lot of
people are saying they will wait and see how it develops."
Although
it's a tough decision, he said, considering how Rome is not offering to
replace the homes or salaries of any defectors, "I suspect thousands,
not hundreds, of laity will go."
In the statement announcing their defection, the bishops declare that
they feel recent developments in the church are incompatible with
traditional Anglicanism.
They argue, for example, that Jesus only chose
men as his disciples so women should not become bishops.
Campaigners
such as Women and the Church (WATCH), however, point out that the church
has regularly adapted its stance on controversial issues.
Spokeswoman
Rev Rosie Harper told the BBC: "That has been the story of the church.
We worked out eventually that it wasn't God's will we should have
slaves, and worked out we shouldn't be racist."
According to Church of England figures, there are 12,894 parishes in the
U.K., of which 802 have refused to accept women celebrating holy
communion and 966 refuse to accept a woman as a vicar.
Two of the men
taking up the pope's offer are so-called "flying bishops", so named
because they were given the job of looking after those parishes that
would not accept the ordination of women.
Rome, however, might prefer to see them as "homing bishops," returning
to the Catholic Church and leading a flock of future returnees.
SIC: TIMES/INT'L