The Lead

Andrew Brown has discovered some cloak and dagger deeds by the Anglo-Catholics seeking to leave the Church of England for Rome:

An extraordinary correspondence has fallen into my hands showing some of the detail of the Anglo-Catholic intrigues about their departure from the Church of England. It shows the Anglican "flying bishop" of Ebbsfleet, Andrew Burnham, conspiring with a sympathetic Roman Catholic bishop in Australia to work behind the back of the Catholic bishops here. He talks about his "cloak and dagger" correspondence with a sympathiser in the Vatican, and suggests that he can write personally to Pope Benedict XVI to smooth things over if his correspondent is caught. This may come as news to the pope.
...
But the passage (of the email) which will cause discomfort in this country is this:
"I am taking the liberty of mentioning, in confidence and with his permission, that we are in touch with Mgr Patrick Burke at the CDF [the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]. It has all felt a little bit like Elizabethan espionage but, truly, the informal contact with the CDF has been invaluable, and, if ever Mgr Burke got into trouble, I should write to the pope and say how splendidly helpful he has been.

This is not known about fully in England and Wales because we are trying to ensure that the whole Anglicanorum Coetibus project, which will begin in small ways, is not smothered by the management anxieties of a hierarchy, some of whom think that Anglicans are best off doing what they are presently doing and some of whom think the project would impact adversely on the Catholic Church in England. Needless to say Fr Pat's help, and the support of Archbishop DiNoia, need, to a lesser extent, to be protected from disapproval at higher levels of the dicastery [Vatican department]. Hence the cloak and dagger."

Comments (8)

Y'all can't be surprised by this. A touch of intrigue and mystery, Anglo-Catholics behind it? Surely not. Wherever there's smells and bells, there's usually capes and drapes.

Posted by Clint Davis | February 16, 2010 6:14 PM

Drama queens! }-p

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux | February 16, 2010 7:17 PM

Damian sniffs: "This email was leaked by an enemy of the Pope who timed it to throw Anglo-Catholics into confusion just before their day of prayer on Monday."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100026321/revealed-anglo-catholic-bishop-in-talks-with-cdf-to-stop-english-bishops-smothering-popes-anglican-plan/

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 16, 2010 10:01 PM

I'm getting a little tired of the self-proclaimed "Anglo-Catholics" in England. I was raised as an Anglo-Catholic in the Episcopal Church, and still consider myself one (or at least an Anglican Catholic, or a Catholic Anglican -- take your pick!). If I were in England I might identify with Affirming Catholicism. But it's time for the Anglo-Papalists in the Church of England to fish or cut bait. If one honestly believes that the Bishop of Rome by divine right is "infallible" (whatever that might mean) and justly exercises universal ordinary jurisdiction over the whole Catholic Church, then in honest conscience one must submit to Rome even if one does not agree with or like every single thing the Roman Church does. But if one believes that the claims of the Bishop of Rome are false, then one should quit playing games with the Vatican. If Bishop Burnham were in The Episcopal Church, we would be asking whether he is "abandoning the communion of this church." If these people believe the Holy Spirit is leading them to Rome, then by all means they should go, Godspeed with our prayers and good wishes. And leave the keys.

Posted by Bill Moorhead | February 16, 2010 10:43 PM

The Reign of God is not revealed in cloak and dagger intrigues, but the character of the players is.

Posted by Peter Pearson | February 16, 2010 11:07 PM

Maybe the Bishop of Burnham is a gmail user who didn't understand the ins and outs of Google Buzz before he started to use it.

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 17, 2010 8:06 AM

Alert the media:

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/?p=23507

"Following publication of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, Forward in Faith is pleased to commend to all its members the call from the Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough for a Day of Prayer and Discernment on Monday 22nd February, the Chair of Peter."

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 17, 2010 3:32 PM

Breaking: One week he's an Asst Bp in the CoE, the next he swims the Tiber,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7258833/Bishop-who-predicted-death-of-Church-of-England-converts-to-Rome.html

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 17, 2010 5:06 PM

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