Religion Is The Opiate Of The People! No, Wait......

If you thought Lefty Anglicans beleive schism, nationalism, and the mixing of church and state were bad things, think again. It's OK when it serves the "right" people and the "correct" causes:

Venezuela: Anglican, Lutheran and Roman Catholic have consecrated three priests as bishops of a new church loyal to Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

Last Saturday the dissident churchman formed the Reformed Catholic Church of Venezuela in a ceremony in the western city of Ciudad Ojeda. Organized along Anglican principles, the “Bolivarian” church seeks to combine the socialist ideals of the president and nationalist heritage of Simon Bolivar --- the country’s founder --- with the tenets of liberation theology.

In other words, we have a new diocese of The Episcopal Church (tm). Really:

The Bolivarian Church, which models itself on the nationalist catholic church formed in Nineteenth century Mexico that has since become the Anglican Church of Mexico, uses the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer and has adopted a liberal moral ethos, making clerical celibacy optional, permitting divorce and remarriage, and holding that homosexual conduct is not immoral.

Hattip: Brad Drell.

UPDATE: Ontario Emperor weighs in on the matter, including a link to this article on "liberation theology" written in 1984 by a then unknown, but now rather known, Catholic cleric named Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; and some thoughts on Saint Che, the patron saint of mass executions without due process socialist justice.

UPDADE: Roman Catholics have, as you would guess, called this load of hooey a load of hooey. And so have some Anglicans. But one would think The Episcopal Church (tm) in particular would have something to say about this as well, especially if Chavez' church is cribbing The Episcopal Church (tm) Book of Common Prayer for their own. But so far, nothing. The Book of Common Prayer is specifically copyrighted by The Episcopal Church (tm) (my copy says 1977), which makes it their property. And we all know how much The Episcopal Church (tm) treasures their property, and their fiduciary responsibility to the same.

UPDATE 09JULY08: The Living Church is reporting on Chavez' new "church," and also on the local Episcopal Bishop's "he-makes-the-trains-run-on-time" excuse for Chavez and his policies:

The Diocese of Venezuela is part of Province 9 of The Episcopal Church and includes Curaçao - Netherlands Antilles. Last month, the diocese’s bishop, the Rt. Rev. Orlando Guerrero, visited the Episcopal Church Center in New York, where he offered his thanks for the support of the Episcopal Church. He told Episcopal News Service that health care, education, and hunger issues have improved since President Chavez took office, but that the wealthy are leaving the country. He said that President Chavez is very “faithful and compromising with churches.”