Wednesday, January 11, 2017

What's Become Of The "Continuum"?

Partly, I think, because the Anglo-Catholic blog archive is now gone, my regular correspondent pointed me to this entry on the surviving blog The Continuum. (It still has entries, but they seem to be mainly homilies by one cleric, not comments on current events.)

The link is a pretty angry discussion of 2010 statements by Abp Hepworth in the wake of Anglicanorum coetibus. The group in this blog seems to be pretty low-church and members of fringier "continuing" denominations -- but no "continuing" denomination, including the ACA, ever unanimously accepted Anglicanorum coetibus. These guys refer to it as the "Coeti bus", which gives an idea of where they come from.

The problem, though, is that in the wake of Anglicanorum coetibus, the "continuum" denominations without exception have been shrinking and losing credibility. Here is a summary of the bloggers' views on the impact:

They requested various things which they placed under the heading "full corporate communion." They have stated a desire for different things at different times, ranging from a "Uniat" status to "inter-communion." All of these things imply a specific identity as at least Anglican-ish, in some way. They requested a way to have their own structure and a degree of self-determination.

To that request, with its variations, Anglicanorum Coetibus is really an answer of "no," with a different offer in return. The ordinariates will protect the former Anglicans from their new bishops (a problem with Catholic order in and of itself) in the event that any bishop is not eager to play by the new rules, that is, never saying no to Pastoral Provisions and some sort of so-called Anglican Use. But, the Canon Law and specific statements of the Constitution and Norms do not give any assurance of self-determination for the former Anglicans, not even to remain sort of Anglican-ish.

This is in fact an accurate reading of the constitution's effect, but my own view is that it was a "put up or shut up" gesture as well. It has damaged the prestige of the "continuers" irreparably.