Damian Thompson reports on some sharpish truth telling going on at Lambeth. Only it’s not the Anglicans who are speaking clearly and forthrightly, its one of the Catholic cardinals. He’s said that there is such a thing as spiritual Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and makes a not so subtle hint that the Anglicans suffer from it. Damian’s report is here.
Spiritual Alzheimer’s?
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This cardinal speaks boldly and I admire that. Just to be a nudge though, as a medical doctor(geriatrician) I’d like to point out that Alzheimer’s disease actually is known for the loss of short term(recent) memory and long term memory is preserved fairly well until the end. I get his point though and pray the Anglicans will think deeply upon history and make their way home as you have done.
Love it when a prominent clergyman speaks the plain truth. We need more like him.
I declare, in the photo, it does look like the cardinal is giving them the finger!
The Alzheimer’s analogy would be the right one then: long term memory = remember you were once Catholics. Short-term memory = forget the last 500 years. It didn`t work out.
Almost off topic:Cardinal Levada has written to the TAC:http://www.themessenger.com.au/news.htmGood news? Bad news? No news?
More…MORE on theAnglican situation! Your insights are valuable for this Anglo-Catholic.Timotheus
Antonio: It’s one of those communications which seems to say nothing, until you pick up the subtle hints. For me, at first reading, these are:(1) The explicit and positive reference to “corporate unity”. Though no promises are being made, neither is the idea being conveniently swept under the carpet in favour of individual submission. Nine months on, the CDF is still giving “serious attention” to something which would be, AFAIK, unprecedented since the Union of Brest.(2) “The situation within the Anglican Communion in general has become markedly more complex”. On the face of it a non sequitur, this surely indicates that the TAC initiative is being viewed in Rome as one element in a wider potential rapprochement with Catholic Anglicanism – with the CDF understandably waiting for the current chaos in Anglicanism to resolve itself somewhat before deciding how best to proceed. As a Catholic-minded Anglican myself, I just hope that Card. Levada appreciates the problems with taking a passive approach – his own actions (or lack of them) may be decisive in determining how the tensions in Anglicanism work out. I believe we are going through a period which will be the stuff of future history books – the decisions taken by those who are in any position of influence (not least the Prefect of the CDF!) are going to figure prominently.
Thank you very much, William.It seems to me that what you wrote about “the explicit and positive reference to corporate unity” was also noted by Archbishop Hepworth.I don’t know very much about the TAC or about Anglo-catholicism, but I promise to keep praying for you all.And thanks again.
Fr. L, If you read the full text of the Cardinal's speech I think you will find this quote taken sadly out of context. I can see the traditionalists in the audience waiting and hoping through the catholic guy's speech for some rebuke, but in the full context of the speech I don't think it was much of one.He was speaking to the over-all duty of all christians and bishops to evangelize and mentioned the dangers that face all christians along the way, citing also the a href='http://www.everypoet.com/Archive/poetry/Joyce_Kilmer/Joyce_Kilmer_main_street_the_robe_of_christ.htm'>beautiful poem by Joyce Kilmer.Anyway, call me naive if you like, but I really didn’t see it as much of a rebuke. He could easily have been rebuking any catholic bishop as well who forgets his mission. And he talked of finding the unique local cultural expressions of worship that christians around the world have developed. Traditionalists probably don’t like the idea that in Latin America somewhere a totally non-european form of worship complete with liturgical dance could develop. But I think it is quite clear in the speech that the good cardinal seems supportive of multiple cultural expressions of worship. Not exactly a Latin rite traddie if I am reading him correctly.