Your gift counts double until 5/31: $24,072 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!
 Off the Record

friends like these

By Diogenes (articles ) | July 08, 2008 9:51 AM

When the Church of England voted to allow the ordination of women as bishops, one bishop broke down in tears, the Daily Telegraph reports. But before Anglo-Catholics begin celebrating their latest hero in the Anglican hierarchy, let's take a closer look:

The Rt Rev Stephen Venner, the Suffragan Bishop of Dover, said he was ashamed of the church for ignoring the deeply felt wishes of traditionalists at the end of an emotional six-hour debate.

It's not the wishes of traditionalists that matter, no matter how deeply they're felt. It's the unbroken tradition of the universal Church and the will of the Lord Jesus Christ. That the Church of England is untroubled by breaking from those sources of authority is the real problem here.

Yes, Bishop Venner is troubled. He knows that something is wrong. But what is it?

He said the church was just "talking the talk" of being inclusive and added: "Is this the Church of England at its best? I have to say I doubt it."

Frankly, I don't. Things being what they are, this is the best that Anglicans can reasonably expect.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($24,072 to go):
$80,000.00 $55,927.55
30% 70%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: - Jul. 10, 2008 11:24 AM ET USA

    The Presbyterians split from the Episcopalians, the Episcopalians split from the Anglicans, the Anglicans split from the Church... nothing new.

Think with the Catholic Leaders: Subscribe to Catholic Culture Insights Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

The Ideal of Pope Francis: the Servant Church 8 hours ago
The sad decline of self-government 24 hours ago
That impromptu exorcism again May 22
The Mystery of the Spirit May 21
Against a Facile Assurance of Salvation, the Need for Mystery May 21

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8