The Times of London is reporting that Pope Benedict XVI is “drawing up plans to welcome disaffected Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church.”
“Pope Benedict XVI is keen to reach out to conservative Anglicans who have been antagonised by their church’s stance on women priests and homosexuality,” writes Christopher Morgan. “Senior Vatican figures are understood to have drawn up a dossier on the most effective means of attracting disenchanted Anglicans.”
If the pope thinks that a majority of disaffected Anglicans are of the Anglo-Catholic, rather than the Evangelical variety, I think he’s getting bad intelligence.
That said, I heartily endorse his effort. Let’s trade dissidents. Just give us time to build churches for the millions of Catholics who agree with the Episcopal Church, rather than their own magisterium, on the issues of birth control, priestly celibacy, women’s ordination, etc.