“But if, in conscience, some [Anglicans] want to become Catholics, we cannot shut the door,” Kasper said. “We must respect freedom of conscience and of religion. There are also some Catholics who want to become Anglicans, and we have to respect that too.”
Can you imagine? Times are a changing. Next thing Benedict will revise his Assissi condemnations. You know that praying together thing. John Allen’s article is very good and comprehensive. http://ncronline.org/news/what-vaticans-welcome-anglicans-means# He reports rather than opines which he should stick to.
The paradox of this possible event is that it will bring us back to the early Christian church where there was real diversity before the Orthodox/Constantinian ax fell. So maybe we should not get upset that the framework is anti-women and anti-gay. The fact that diverse communities will be allowed in Catholic Christendom on this wide a scale is a paradigm change. So much good can come out of this. Not least of which will be the softening of the orthdox hammer and the emphasis on faith in Christian communities rather than conformity. Once you allow diversity it will be hard to stop. This does not mean a lack of ethics but rather a respect for the Spirit which is the quintessential Christian quality.
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