Anglican congregation plans to convert to Catholicism

From BBC-

The Pope has created a special enclave in the Roman Catholic Church for Anglicans unhappy with their church's decision to let women become bishops. Last month the church council of St Peter's in Folkestone voted to take the first formal steps towards converting. It comes as traditionalists performed well at the CofE synod elections.

Last October, Pope Benedict made his controversial offer of a place in the Roman Catholic Church for Anglicans that would let them retain some of their practices and traditions. The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggott said the invitation was expected to be of most interest to traditionalist clergy who were unwilling to serve under women bishops. However, the initiative at St Peter's was taken by lay people, with the intention of converting as a group, our correspondent added. Bishop converts At a conference of Forward in Faith, a group representing traditionalist Catholic Anglicans, its chairman the Bishop of Fulham John Broadhurst announced his intention to convert to Catholicism.

Bishop Broadhurst is currently the "flying bishop" charged with looking after traditionalist parishes opposed to women priests and bishops in the dioceses of London, Southwark and Rochester. The moves by St Peter's and the Bishop of Fulham come despite a stronger than expected showing by traditionalists in elections to the Church of England's General Synod. It is thought unlikely they would be allowed to take their church with them however.
More here-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11557206

Forward in Faith Anglicans in Australia Unanimously Vote to Become Catholic

From Catholic Online-

They will come into full communion with the Catholic Church while maintaining aspects of their liturgical distinctives and Anglican Ethos.

It has been an historic week for the Church in Australia and around the world. The move of many Anglican Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church has taken a decided move forward.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Bishop David Robarts OAM, the chairman of Forward in Faith Australia, explained that members of that Anglican association in Australia have decided they could no longer move forward in faith as a part of an Anglican Church in Australia which was not being faithful.

The Bishop explained that the Anglican Church was moving away from orthodox Christian belief and practice and leaving them behind: "In Australia we have tried for a quarter of a decade to get some form of episcopal oversight but we have failed… We're not really wanted any more, our conscience is not being respected."

The Bishop continued, "We're not shifting the furniture, we're simply saying that we have been faithful Anglicans upholding what Anglicans have always believed - and we're not wanting to change anything, but we have been marginalized by people who want to introduce innovations. We need to have bishops that believe what we believe."

So, on Sunday, February 13, 2010, Forward in Faith Australia voted unanimously to accept the invitation extended by Pope Benedict XVI in his historic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus. They will now take the next step in entering into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

The rest is here-

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=35460

Time for Rome to rescue Christians trapped in the Anglo-Catholic wreckage

From Damian Thompson in the London Guardian-

Here is an article I’ve written in the new issue of The Catholic Herald, inspired by reports that Forward in Faith is – finally – in serious talks with the Vatican. Thanks to Luke Coppen for letting me reproduce it here.

A few months ago I witnessed a little miracle: an Anglican friend of mine was received into the Church. It was a miracle because this particular friend had been adamant that he would not become a “Roman”, despite his love of traditional Catholic liturgy. There were many factors in his change of heart, but two words explain why he suddenly took the plunge: Pope Benedict.
At the centre of my friend’s Christianity is public worship, and (so far as I can judge from many conversations with him) the main reason he did not leave the Church of England is that he could not accept the claims of a Church which did not get its worship right. His objection was not to Vatican II, but to a casual approach to the celebration of Mass that made it harder to believe in the unique universal status of the Roman Church.

And then along came Benedict XVI. I don’t want to imply that Pope John Paul II did not care about worship - he regularly denounced liturgical abuses - but it did seem to observers inside and outside the Church that nothing much ever happened. In contrast, the present Holy Father has made clear that bishops and priests must restore solemnity to the liturgy as a matter of urgency. And, although the fine print of Summorum Pontificum is still ignored by bishops all over the world, there is no doubt that Pope Benedict has liberated the older form of the Roman Rite.

Is it a coincidence that the Benedictine reform of the liturgy is occurring just as the Anglican Communion falls into irrevocable schism? It wouldn’t surprise me if Joseph Ratzinger, an old friend of conservative Anglicans, saw both processes as providential. His liturgical renewal could perhaps be seen as a spring-cleaning before visitors arrive. For, make no mistake about it, Pope Benedict XVI wants Anglicans to “come over” in large numbers. Such conversions represent the fruit, rather than the failure, of the ecumenical project (though one should add that the Pope also wishes to deepen solidarity with non-Catholics who have no plans to convert).

More here-

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100005827/time-for-rome-to-rescue-christians-trapped-in-the-anglo-catholic-wreckage/

Forward in Faith 'in talks with Vatican'

From the London Telegraph-

A well-connected Rome source reports that Forward in Faith, the umbrella group for conservative Anglo-Catholics in the C of E, is talking to the Vatican about corporate union. Here’s the odd thing about the rumour: it claims that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna is meeting with Bishop John Broadhurst of Fulham at the suggestion of the Holy Father.

The model for the move to Rome could be the proposed reception of the Traditional Anglican Communion into the Catholic Church. But Broadhurst has very firmly denied that Forward in Faith is throwing in its lot with the TAC, a rebel Anglican group that has already submitted to the Magisterium.

Now, if there’s one thing I know about Bishop Broadhurst is that he’s a wily old fox. He blows hot and cold on the subject of Rome, perhaps because he was baptised a Roman Catholic. I’m sure he wouldn’t dream of joining the TAC in any shape or form - but he’ll be jolly interested in the details of any deal it does with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

But why involve the Archbishop of Vienna, Count Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert von Schönborn? (OK, so he doesn’t use his aristocratic title, but what a cool name.) I don’t know. Perhaps it was just a suggestion that Vienna and Fulham should meet. But my source is close enough to high-level figures in the curia for me to be sure that there’s something significant going on.

The rest is here-

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100004873/forward-in-faith-in-talks-with-vatican/

Pennsylvania files lawsuit against Forward in Faith parish

The Diocese of Pennsylvania has filed suit against the flagship parish of the Forward in Faith movement in the US, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, seeking control of the property.

Last month’s pleading, filed on behalf of the diocesan standing committee, asked a suburban Philadelphia court to eject the Rt Rev David Moyer and his congregation from the property, arguing the parish’s secession from the diocese violates canon law which requires parish property to be “held or used for the work of the Episcopal Church.”

The battle between Rosemont’s rector and the Bishop of Pennsylvania, Charles Bennison, began in 2002, when Bishop Bennison deposed Fr Moyer for “abandoning the communion” of the Episcopal Church for contumacy.

Fr Moyer filed suit against Bishop Bennison in a civil court for damages, and in a legal first persuaded the court that the bishop’s actions were so egregious that a civil review was needed. A jury in October 2008 found that Bishop Bennison’s actions did not merit redress. In an unrelated legal proceeding, however, a church court deposed Bishop Bennison for conspiracy to cover up child abuse. His case is presently under appeal.

After he was deposed, Fr Moyer was received by the Traditional Anglican Communion, a continuing church group, and is now a bishop within that church. Following the conclusion of the litigation last year between Bishop Bennison and Bishop Moyer the standing committee in Pennsylvania started legal proceedings to gain control of Rosemont.

More here-

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4281