SALEM — The Vatican's invitation to disaffected Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church sends a "terrible message" to gays and women, a local Episcopal priest said.
The Rev. Paul Bresnahan of St. Peter's Church in Salem said he is troubled by the Catholic Church's unexpected overture this week, which appeared to be aimed at conservative Anglicans who have become disillusioned with their church, in part over its acceptance of openly gay bishops and female priests.
"It sends a terrible message to the gay community," said Bresnahan, the father of two gay sons. "It says, in effect, you're not welcome here. To me, that slams the door shut in your face."
The decision by Pope Benedict XVI to reach out to Anglicans, who split from the Catholic Church in the 16th century and are currently facing deep discord, is also an affront to women, Bresnahan said. Many conservative Anglicans oppose the ordination of women, a position also held by the Catholic church.
"What kind of message does it send to half the population of the world? What if a woman feels she is called to serve God as a priest?" Bresnahan said. It puts her in a position, he said, of "saying no to God."
At a press conference Tuesday in Vatican City, Cardinal William Levada, a high-ranking church official, said Anglicans would be able "to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony."
The offer is expected to resonate more overseas, where Anglicans have protested what they see as the increasingly liberal leanings of the Church of England.
In the United States, the rift between liberals and conservatives in the Episcopal Church drew wide media attention in 2003 with the consecration of the Right Rev. Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. There also has been dissension over what some see as the church's liberal stance on gay marriage. Some conservatives already have broken from the Episcopal Church, founding their own more conservative faith communities.
Locally, the new Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Danvers was formed by conservative Episcopalians, several of whom left Christ Church in South Hamilton. The congregation celebrated its first service a few weeks ago in its new spiritual home, a former Roman Catholic church.
One member of the new Danvers faith community said he doubts this invitation will result in anyone leaving to join the Catholic Church.
"Although I have a great affection for Catholicism and I was raised a Roman Catholic, I can't see myself or people in my group taking up that particular invitation," said Michael Szczuka, an active member of Christ the Redeemer.
End run?
The Rev. Debbie Phillips, rector of Grace Church in Salem, noted that the Vatican announcement comes on the heels of a controversial decision by the Church of England to consecrate women bishops. It also comes, she said, as the two religions have been trying to mend fences.
"The Vatican is sort of doing an end-run around the conversation that the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church have been engaged in for decades," she said. "There have been conversations about ways we can work together and even move toward some semblance of reconciliation. Yet the Vatican goes ahead and proposes this sort of out of the blue, outside of the conversation."
The overture, she feels, will not help relations.
"It sends a very clear signal, unfortunately, about how the Vatican views what's going on within the Anglican Communion. I mourn the fact that has happened. I also feel ... that there will be many Roman Catholics, particularly in the United States, who feel like their church is betraying their understanding of what it means to be a Christian."
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts reacted cautiously to the development.
"It will take some time before we can really know what impact, if any, (Tuesday's) Vatican announcement will have for the Episcopal Church or ongoing dialogue and cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion worldwide," said the Right Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, bishop of the diocese.
Bresnahan addressed the subject in more detail this week in an Internet blog he writes.
"We have now received an invitation from Catholicism to return to the Mother Church," he wrote. "For those unhappy over the Anglican/Episcopal Church's 'liberal' stance on the ordination of gays and their inclusion in our leadership and membership, there is room in Rome. For those unhappy about the ordination of women, there is spiritual refuge in the purview of the Holy See. Curiously enough, the church that brings you celibacy will allow married Anglican/Episcopal Church clergy to return, as well.
"I must respectfully decline that invitation."
