The Pope will discuss how to deal with the increasing numbers of disaffected Anglicans wanting to join the Roman Catholic Church at a meeting with cardinals from around the world.
Benedict XVI, who is making the reunification of Christendom a goal of his pontificate, is considering requests from at least three US Episcopal bishops for reception into the Catholic Church. He has also been approached by an entire breakaway group of traditionalist Anglicans.
The meeting in Rome comes on the eve of the consistory to create a tranche of new cardinals and as the Anglican exodus over gays continues.
“…a tranche of new cardinals… ”
I have been wondering about the use of the word “tranche” which is used by Europeans when discussing production blocks of aircraft, and now here. All I can find are some French terms involving finance, and/or cheese. Am I correct that it just means a group, or is it more nuanced?
If this will be understood as a “headlining” discussion, I wonder if it might lead to a kind of re-evaluation of the arguments set forth in [i]Apostolicae Curae[/i] – or perhaps a helpful restatement?
Re: #2,
Why should it lead to either a “re-evaluation” or a “restatement?” With the wide acceptance of WO even by “conservative” Anglicans, on the one hand, and the 1994 papal declaration that to ordain women is an impossibility, on the other, the whole question of “Anglican Orders” (from the RC perspective) has become a completely irrelevent question, tantamount to that of “Adventist Orders” or “Quaker Baptism.”
Figures would be interesting, but I doubt the reference to “increasing numbers” of Anglicans turning to Rome.
The first big influx was after Tract XC in the 19th century – men such as Cardinal Manning and Cardinal Newman, Father Faber of the Oratory, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and many others converting to Rome.
Then there was a pre-Second World War fashion for conversion among the upper classes, particularly, drawing people like Evelyn Waugh over.
The ordination of women saw massive losses to Rome from the Church of England – reducing the Anglo Catholic influence in the Church of England from a position of great strength to one of much more marginal presence.
What we are seeing now doesn’t seem to be on the same scale. It may be different in the US. But, then, the Episcopal Church is much smaller in relation to other US churches than the Church of England is in relation to other UK churches, even before you consider its status as the established church.
This looks like yet more breathless journalism from the “Times”.
But absent the “question” of Anglican Orders, what is there to discuss? All that is required is for the disaffected Anglicans to march en masse down to their local Roman Catholic parish and enroll in RCIA classes — the clergy pausing briefly along the way to renounce their orders — and hey presto, they have achieved reunification with Rome.
“The meeting in Rome comes on the eve of the consistory to create a tranche of new cardinals and as the Anglican exodus over gays continues”.
Oh, for the umpteenth time, the “Anglican exodus” is not over gays, it is over doctrine, or lack thereof.
According to my online dictionary, “tranche” does indeed come from medieval French and refers to a slice or portion, particularly of money (as in “the first tranche of a loan.”). Its use here does seem odd.
Ross has made a good point. I don’t see what’s new here.
Well, if the TIMES cannot get the issue properly stated, who are we to gaggle at their trenchant use of “tranche” – though the noun form is used for a particular form of bonds in addition to the definition you provided. Bonds ~ bondage X Anglican ~ Roman = sly antiromanist rhetoric, perhaps? Though I doubt that level of innuendo in a piece that cannot get the issue correctly stated. Oh, well, “tranche” away, O thou Anglican Communion.
hmmm…. this is sort of a classic teaser non-story…
“This just in, the pope is going to talk about an issue…”
For all the intimated rumors I have heard of some sort of wider accomadation a la a universal pastoral provision or something akin to a personal prelature (and for the record, I have no strong opinion on the likelihood of these types of things either way)…. Well is it a news story that he may talk to the cardinals about it?
Come to think about it, who says he is going to do just that?
It apppears also that a good number of former Episcopalians are quietly being chrismated and received into the Antiochian Orthodox Church. To those who might be considereing the swim, “Come on in! The water is warm, and your Mother is eager to feed you.”
Alice L, a nice pitch for the AOC!
Shameful, I know. But I couldn’t resist. 😉