OPINION: Is the Pope Anglican?

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From time to time a matter of serious import derails the normally bizarre nature of the Orthodixie Podcast. This episode addresses one of those occasions.

Recently, Pope Benedict the 16th caused no small stir in ecclesiastical waters, which rippled into much electronic chatter on the Internet.

The Vatican recently announced that Pope Benedict is setting up special provision for Anglicans, including married clergy, who want to convert to Rome together, preserving aspects of Anglican liturgy. They will be given their own pastoral supervision, according to this press release from the Vatican:

“In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony.”

The original brief notice went on to say: “This is clearly a historic gesture by Pope Benedict which will encourage thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.”

As a 48 year old man, but only a sixteen year old Orthodox Christian, I’m forced to think back to my days of doubt — back when I was an Episcopalian seminarian wondering what to do about my place in the Anglican Communion.

Specifically, would such a proclamation by the Pope of Rome have influenced my decision about where to run to when …

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