Hundreds of Anglican clergy who oppose women bishops are meeting this weekend to discuss whether to abandon the Church of England for the Roman Catholic church.
About 500 members of Forward in Faith, the leading traditionalist grouping, will be in London to debate Pope Benedict XVI’s offer of an Anglican “ordinariate” or diocese to operate under a new Apostolic Constitution.
Many are waiting for the publication of a Code of Practice by Rome to flesh out the detail of what is on offer before deciding whether to go.
Anyone interested in speculating out loud what the details of the Code of Practice might include? Any surprises expected?
How about somebody telling us what exactly a ‘code of practice’ is, and what kind of things one might find inside one of them?
In spite of the way Ruth Gledhill has hyped this meeting of Forward in Faith, this was an already-scheduled meeting, at which Bishop Iker is present, I understand. Now, I do suppose that the agenda has been affected somewhat by yesterday’s historic development!
To the “hundreds” of Anglican clergy as possible emigre’s to Rome, we can now add whole dioceses in Papua New Guinea and Australia, at least [url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE59K5H420091021]according to Stephen Parkinson[/url], director of FiF:
The posted article by the former Bp. of Richborough, that has so far only garnered one comment on this blog, contains an idea that had not occurred to me, as I am not British nor C of E, but is an important one:
“Those of us compelled by conscience to leave will expect generous provision, not just financial, but also in the way of the transfer of churches and vicarages. The Archbishop of Canterbury has often berated the American Church for its meanness towards those who have left over issues such as the consecration of gay men and the ordination of women.”
Now I better understand the use of the word ‘poaching’, and silly metaphors like ‘tanks on Rowan’s lawn’. This sort of expectation could be on the FiF/UK table for discussion at their meeting. Well, only time will tell. It is generally a different situation outside the UK, I think.
I’m slightly baffled by the bishop’s claim. He knows ecclesiastical law far better than I but transfer of property looks, to me, to be more or less impossible in the COE. Redundant (that is, closed) churches could be sold but exisiting parish churches – at least which have incumbents – are owned in such a way that the incumbent who owns them can’t dispose of them by sale or gift. (In effect they are held in trust for the parish – that is the people who live within the geographical parish boundaries). As neither the diocese nor PCC (COE equivalent of the Vestry) own non redundant parish churches they simply have no right to dispose of them.
Of course one might desire to declare churches closed/redundant (and then sell them) – but there is a serious process to be gone through – and consent is normally needed, I think, from incumbent (priest), PCC and Diocese and consultation is made with all interested parties (that is, normally, those who may live in the parish but attend rarely if at all) all of whom have the right to object. The final decision in effect rests with the Church Commissioners.