The Archbishop invoked the Prayer of St Francis at evening prayer in Rome on the eve of his meeting with the Pope. Preaching at an ecumenical service with Cardinal Walter Kasper presiding, at the Oratory of St Francis Xavier, he gave a rare insight into the depths of the his own, personal, intense desire for unity, and continued warm relations with Rome. ‘As we pray for unity between Christians…whatwever we may be, Anglicans, Methodists, Roman Catholics, Armenian, Apostolic Orthodox whatever we may be, give us the Holy Spirit to bind us together, that we may meet one another’s hunger.’
He went on to reference the St Francis Prayer. (The relevant passage is towards the end, about eight minutes into the video.) And while he did not use this passage directly, the prayer has this line: ‘It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.’ Presumably, then, he’s forgiven the Pope. What seems to have been at issue is not so much what was done, as the way it was done. The announcement a couple of weeks ago, with little notice or preparation that he was aware of, left the Archbishop of Canterbury in a state of some discomfiture, not knowing how to respond.
Read it all and there is an accompanying video and numerous other links.
I’m not sure if the author is linking the location (the Oratory of St Francis Xavier,) mistakenly with the Peace prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. If so, he’s gotten his saints mixed up.
However, I think it outrageous that ++Rowan would imply that the Pope needs to be forgiven for offering traditional Anglicans a refuge from the increasing heretical views and practices of the CoE. IF anything, I think ++Rowan needs to apologize to the traditionalists in both the CoE and the American Episcopal Church for ignoring the causes of the problem and thus contributing to the escalation.
Jim Elliott <>< Florida (Did I put the ++ in the right place?)
Strange, unless the ABC was one of the folks the Pope’s “offer” was aimed it, it was hardly any of his business. The ABC won’t even act on the 100K plus folks in ACNA, who are more than eligible to be/remain in the Anglican Communion. Benedict XIV did what RW should do. Sort of set an example huh?
Nothing to be discomfited about……
Grandmother
From Ruthie’s referenced TIMES article”: what to say…
“First, the Anglican Communion is not an arrangement of convenience among disparate parties. In creating the new structure, known as an apostolic constitution, the Vatican acted precipitately. Second, there is an impeccable case for the Church to welcome women priests and homosexual clergy. On these issues that have sharply divided Anglicans, Dr Williams is clearly liberal by temperament. Stating that position openly, regardless of its effect on Anglican-Catholic relations, is overdue.”
“First” IS patently true since the Archbishop of Canterbury has made it his business to make it so and it can only be anticatholic bias that makes the TIMES distort the truth in such fashion.
“Second” is obviously false. If there were an “impeccable case” for women’s ordination both Rome and Constantinople would have it and have had it for two millenia. To allege that for either WO or ordination of partnered, non-celibate homosexual deacons, priests or bishops is peccably absurd fact-checking.
Penance for these distortions? None. There would be needed first a recognition of error, then remorse, then repentance, first. Not likely.
No, he does not know how to respond. That’s his (and our) problem. Benedict does know how. That’s our joy and soon to be (for those of us responding) peace.
Just in the interest of accuracy.
While the “Peace Prayer” is a lovely prayer, it has been historically proven that it was NOT written by St. Francis of Assisi. It never had anything to do with St. Francis of Assisi.
No one knows exactly who wrote the prayer, but the first time it ever appeared was in the 19th century (600 years after Francis) in a little book of prayers put together for some people going on a pilgrimage. The editor decided to decorate the opposite page with a picture of St. Francis of Assisi — just for some artwork — and people jumped to the conclusion that it was somehow connected to St. Francis of Assisi.
It was not. Nice prayer — very popular for good reason. Not written by St. Francis.