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Fair is fair
Pope Benedict's invitation to Anglican (including Episcopal Church USA) priests and parishes to become part of the Roman Catholic Church, retaining our liturgy and some customs, is fine with me.
In fact, I think it's wholly fair.
I'm an Episcopal parish priest, so my reaction is less about the cosmic implications, if any, of this initiative. In any case, so many details are yet to be known that I find the speculation to be self-serving at best. And as for The New York Times making the news the lead page one article, I'm frankly mystified.
But fair is fair. For most of my ministry, beginning in 1974, I've been in parishes that are uncharacteristically (for Episcopalians) interested in membership growth. When I work to put out the welcome mat to serious spiritual seekers, the result is usually a heavy preponderance of Roman Catholics, at least 50% in most years.
So, fair is fair. We have a principled approach to Christian practice that takes the Bible, tradition, and human reason with balanced seriousness. On the ground, we like ritual, think and act sacramentally, and for a variety of historical reasons have a euphonious liturgy. Roman Catholics resonate with that.
What most who come to us want to get away from is centralized, exclusively male authority structures and the top-down insistence that some moral and practical questions are settled for all time. When they hear the Pope say the question of the ordination of women as priests cannot even be officially discussed, they are often ready to join a different conversation.
Fair enough. We've been doing the inviting for years. We welcome the Pope to the business of welcome.
We all know that religious boundaries and "brands" mean a good deal less than they used to. As far as I can see, the Pope's invitation continues a de facto period of pilgrimage.
I hope people who need to find a more welcoming home can find one. As for all the other consequences, many of which are likely to be unintended, let's just wait and see.
By
William Tully
|
October 22, 2009; 11:04 AM ET
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Posted by: cbrown7 | November 1, 2009 2:47 PM
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I rejoice at Mr.Tully's very clear vision of what it means to offer a "radical welcome" and to remind us all that belief in Christ is the point. What a miracle it will be when these divides caused by man, politics and nation-building, are gone by those brave enough to take the leap of faith.
Posted by: farrellfc | October 23, 2009 7:15 PM
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Mr. Tully is Rector of a very large parish in the midst of New York City with a radical "Come as You Are" welcome. No preconditions to be welcomed AND accepted.
Unfortunately the Pope's invitation is one that says "It is My way or the Highway" or don't even bother to think about it. That is his absolute right! But it is not very welcoming, I would think.
Posted by: ldanglican | October 23, 2009 7:18 AM
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If all Episcopal parishes embraced Bill Tully's combination of openness and seriousness about liturgy, the Church would be in fine shape, indeed. I fear that is not so. The Episcopal church, which has traditionally maintained a proper reticence when it comes to proclaiming certainty about God's will, has overstepped that in recent years, I fear, with an increasingly intolerant "our way or the highway" line on social issues. Tully has always posited that the church should be "loose at the edges, solid at the core." I hope others embrace that.
Posted by: Daoud1 | October 23, 2009 6:29 AM
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If only other Anglican/Episcopalian and R. Catholic priests can read this.
Posted by: jbedia | October 22, 2009 1:29 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
"We welcome the Pope to the business of welcoming." As a former member of Saint Barts in New York City I have experienced the philosophy of acceptance that is referred to as the "radical welcome" Rev. Tully leads a congregation which makes a practice of the radical welcome. Will the Catholic church really welcome the rich diversity of Episcopalians into the fold?
Being that I am a woman, I imagine my welcome would be less that than that of a man as there are no female priests in the Catholic Church.