As most of you know, the Pope - who we Anglicans recognize as the Bishop of Rome - was in New York the other day. And he had a few things to say about the Current Unpleasantness (tm) befalling The Episcopal Church (tm):
Benedict decried the "splintering" of Christian churches over "so-called 'prophetic actions' that are based on a hermeneutic not always consonant with the datum of Scripture and Tradition." Such actions, he said, cause Christian communities to "give up the attempt to act as a unified body, choosing instead to function according to the idea of 'local options,'" thus losing their connections to Christians in other times and places. Some, but not all, interpreted that as a veiled reference to controversy in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Though, The Episcopal Church (tm) swears on a stack of 'An Inconvenient Truth' DVDs that the Pope just couldn't have been talking about us:
"I think he did us the honor of giving us a serious address that I think needs to be read and reflected upon," said New York's Bishop Mark Sisk. Asked whether he thought Benedict had singled out the Episcopal Church in his remarks, Sisk responded, "It's possible--but I would be rather surprised. I don't think he was trying to send shots across the bow at particular churches. I think he spoke in a respectful way and I didn't see that as a shot at the Episcopal Church."
Well... surprise, Bishop Sisk!! That is exactly who the shot was for. Even the Catholic News Service says so:
While the pope did not offer specific examples, he has in the past questioned Christian communities that have decided to ordain women to the priesthood and episcopacy or to bless homosexual unions and ordain openly gay men and women.
The pope's concerns obviously extend to the Anglican Communion and its troubled relations with the U.S. Episcopal Church and some dioceses in Canada.
Some people refuse to wake up and smell the coffee, even when it is poured right in their lap.
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