Europe and the Coming State Religion

Ulster Anglican parishes deny Catholicism link
By Alf McCreary

Anglican religious group 'the traditional rite' today played down reports that members have asked the Vatican for a "full, corporate, sacramental union" with the Catholic Church.

The request, if successful, could result in some parish communities in Ireland - including a number in the north - being received formally into the Catholic Church, according to The Irish Catholic newspaper.

It stated that the parishes in counties Down, Tyrone and Laois could be affected.

They are part of the 'traditional rite' within the Church of Ireland who objected to the introduction of the ordination of women by the Irish House of Bishops.

Overall this could involve some 400,000 Anglicans world-wide, although only a few in Ireland would be involved.

The Irish Catholic newspaper reported that the three Church of Ireland parishes along with traditional Anglicans from 12 other countries have signed a letter to the Vatican on the matter.

The newspaper reported that a spokesman for the traditional rite group declined to comment but confirmed that members did hope to be received into " full communion with the See of Rome".

However, an influential member of the Anglican 'traditional rite' group in Ireland told the Belfast Telegraph that there are no plans for three parishes in Ireland to apply for union with Rome, which has been claimed.

He said that three small groups within the Church of Ireland meet regularly for house worship in Londonderry and Newtownards and also in the Irish Republic - though he was not clear of the location across the border.

He claimed that there were "hardly more than 30 members" of the traditional rite group in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The spokesman, who lives in Northern Ireland, said that, to his knowledge, no application for union with Rome had been made by any traditional rite group in Ireland.

He said that this might apply to larger groupings of 'traditional rite' Anglicans elsewhere adding that the movement was relatively strong in South Africa, Canada and the United States.

He also said it was unlikely that the Vatican would recognize the validity of any Anglican ordination, in view of the recent proclamation by Pope Benedict that the Catholic Church was, in effect, the only true church, and that this did not apply to the Reformed churches.