Anglican bishop ‘likely’to seek full communion with Rome

BY MARK BENBOW
ACHURCH OF ENGLAND bishop and leading Anglican traditionalists have expressed an interest in becoming Catholics now that the General Synod has moved towards the consecration of women bishops.
The Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet – one of the “flying bishops” who ministers to traditionalists – says he is “likely” to seek full communion with Rome if women bishops are imposed on opponents.
He also predicts that up to 800 Anglican priests would leave the Church of England for the same reason, though by no means all would become Catholics.
The prospect of a fresh exodus of Anglicans will present a diplomatic challenge for the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, many of whom are offended by the idea that joining the Church is a “last resort” for disgruntled opponents of women bishops and priests.
Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton said this week: “When there was the ordination of women in the first place there were some Anglicans who applied to be received into the Catholic Church and the same provision is there at the moment.
“But there is an understanding that you don’t come into the Catholic Church for a negative reason.
“Those Anglican priests who were received into the Church were received for positive reasons – for example, that they accepted the teaching authority of the Church.” The Church of England’s General Synod, meeting in York, voted overwhelmingly on Monday to begin the legal process that will enable women to become bishops. Traditionalists are demanding a “Third Province” which would completely insulate them from women bishops and priests, but this is thought unlikely to happen.
Speaking before the vote, Bishop Burnham told the Sunday Times: “A Church of England with women bishops would no longer have a united episcopate. Bishops would no longer be what they say they are. I would have to leave.” If Anglican clergy do enter into negotiations with the Catholic Church in England and Wales they may find themselves asked tough questions about why they opted not to exercise the “Roman option” – as around 400 did – after the Synod vote for women priests in 1992.
Some senior Catholics are worried that the Catholic hierarchy will be distinctly lukewarm towards clerical converts. Cardinal Basil Hume, in contrast, “fasttracked” many ordinations of Anglo-Catholic priests.
A key factor will be the atti tude of Pope Benedict, who enjoys warm relations with a number of traditionalist Anglican bishops.
As Cardinal Ratzinger he held talks with AngloCatholics about the possibility of special arrangements for them if they converted.