…maybe.
As I mentioned a while back, there is just tons of stuff going on in the Anglican Communion, and we haven’t even got to Lambeth yet.
The big news of this week was the decision of the Church of England to approve female bishops, without any formal structured way for those who object to “opt out,” as it were.
One of the immediate consequences of this decision has been many eyes turned toward the “Anglo-Catholics” in the Church of England. The question has been: What will they do now? The big news of today is that one of their bishops – a “flying bishop” who ministers to parishes who disapprove of women priests – Edwin Barnes has come right out and said, “The Tiber’s this way.”

Fifteen years ago, we were told we had an honoured place in that church, and that there would be no discrimination against any of us who believed in conscience that women could not be priests. Now, the majority in General Synod have reneged on those promises. They have sought to cover their naked ambition with the fig-leaf of a ‘code of practice’ but we are not deceived. The code of practice of the House of Bishops which accompanied the Act of Synod in 1993 has been either ignored or positively undermined by those in authority. The even-handedness which was promised us has been replaced by a determined and successful effort to ensure that no-one who believed women’s ordination might be against the will of God would gain any sort of senior office in the church.
For myself, this clear decision that the majority wants to be rid of us comes as a great relief. We can now begin to plan for a future which will not involve us in compromise. Our Fathers in God (the Provincial Episcopal Visitors, and the few remaining orthodox bishops such as Fulham, Chichester and a handful of others) will do their best to encourage us and keep us together, so that we can hold together. We believe our friends in the Roman Communion will do all they can to help us. Meanwhile, we must pray for one another and support one another – and pray for those who despitefully use us and want us gone. It is a sad time for the Church of England; but not for the Church of God. Great is the truth, and will prevail. God bless and sustain you – and in this interim the Church Union will do all it can to help you.

The link above takes you to Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s blog – Fr. Dwight, a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Charleston, is a former Anglican priest who served in England and whose posts on this are especially helpful for Catholics to read, because he knows on what areas we might need clarification.
For those who are unfamiliar with this Anglican lingo, I’ll attempt to explain – and I’m sure many of my more knowledgeable readers will chime in and help.
Anglicanism, as it presently stands, is a communion that keeps in tension various elements, and, in fact, sees this as an important and positive identifying quality. I suppose if you were looking at the big picture, you’d tease out three kinds of Anglicans: 1) Your regular, institutionally-oriented folks. (I’m sure there is a term for them, but I don’t know what it is)  2) evangelicals and 3) Anglo Catholics.
Distinguishing between these kinds of Anglican involves exploring liturgical and sacramental issues, attitudes toward the 39 Articles and toward Scripture. And, of course the ordination of women. Institutionalists have no problem, evangelicals generally have little problem with it, and most Anglo-Catholics do have a problem with it.

Anglo Catholics are those who see themselves as upholding the ancient Catholic faith within Anglican forms. Anglo Catholics have very high liturgy, and some even pray English translations of the Tridentine Mass. Ad orientem would be the norm. Anglo Catholics even have Benediction, Confession, pray the rosary and affirm some Marian doctrines. There are even Anglo-Papists. I would guess that their primary sticking points against coming into the Catholic Church would be 1) an attachment to these Anglican ways and 2) honest questions about certain teachings, especially those related to the papacy.
In the United States the Anglican Use has provided for the pastoral needs of many Anglo Catholics who have come into the Catholic Church, some individually, others as a group. Their conference is coming up.
For good discussions of the possibilities and pitfalls lying ahead, try Fr. Dwight or Chris Johnson. Or any of the other Anglican blogs (T19, Stand Firm). But I find that folks get the vapors far less often when they discuss the Romanist Papists at MCJ than the other places.
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