The Archbishop of Canterbury’s solution?

Posted on October 24, 2009 
Filed under Opinion

From the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans – 23 October 2009.

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which has previously been denounced by liberals of ‘splitting’ the Anglican Communion, could be the solution for an Archbishop of Canterbury who wants to keep ‘Orthodox’ Anglicans within the Church.

Following the Vatican’s historic announcement this week at joint Press Conferences in Rome and London, which took Dr Rowan Williams by surprise, the Revd Paul Perkin, vicar of St Mark’s Church, Battersea Rise in London, and Chairman of FCA (UK and Ireland) said the FCA could turn out to be the ‘glue’ which the Archbishop could use to hold the Church together.

He said: “There are now apparently two options for Anglicans concerned about the liberal revisionist drift: leave and go to Rome, or stay and work together with Lambeth for an internal solution: a single provision to cover a range of concerns.

“The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which some thought was a group which could split Anglicanism, after this week’s announcement, could really help the Archbishop of Canterbury to keep Anglicans together. The open letter from the Primates Council of the FCA to orthodox Anglicans in the UK and Ireland (published on Tuesday) indicates that there is an alternative to the proposal from the Roman Catholic church – namely that appropriate oversight be found for those who want to remain Anglican.”

The Primates wrote: “We are encouraged by your commitment to work for an internal solution that can address these deep concerns. Steps taken early enough to make provision to address them can preserve good order.  We firmly support your efforts to ensure the provision of appropriate oversight, and if this is not forthcoming, to provide it.”

Revd Perkin added: “It is strongly to be hoped that the Archbishop of Canterbury, having welcomed dialogue with the Roman Catholic church who are now providing  “cross-boundary oversight” for Anglicans who wish to leave, might continue dialogue with those who want to stand and stay.  If he is determined to keep faithful, orthodox Anglicans within the church, then FCA could offer a tangible solution for unity. The offer is there.”

– via Anglican Mainstream.