By Mark Michael Breaking religious conventions is nothing new for Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, whose recent decision to have his young son Wilfred baptized at London’s Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral, skirts close to an 1829 rule that bans Catholics from performing one of the traditional duties of his office. Johnson himself is the first prime minister to … [Read more...] about Prime Minister’s Son Baptized a Catholic
Roman Catholicism
Former Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth Becomes Roman Catholic
By Kirk Petersen Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the queen of England who went on to become a bishop in an Anglican church separate from the Church of England, converted to Roman Catholicism on December 22. Ashenden, now a member of the Roman Catholic laity, has been a prominent voice for traditional Anglicanism. He left the Church of England in 2017 in the wake of a … [Read more...] about Former Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth Becomes Roman Catholic
‘The First Post-conciliar Pope’
Catholicism and Citizenship Political Cultures of the Church in the Twenty-First Century By Massimo Faggioli Liturgical Press. Pp. 188. $24.49 Review by Neil Dhingra The prolific and polyglot historian Massimo Faggioli argues in this book that Francis is “the first post-conciliar pope.” A half-century after Vatican II, he has moved the church past any conception of … [Read more...] about ‘The First Post-conciliar Pope’
Caroline Divines for Today
The Caroline Divines and the Church of RomeA Contribution to Current Ecumenical DialogueBy Mark LanghamRoutledge. Pp. xiv + 270. $140; eBook from $27.48 Review by Richard J. Mammana The Caroline Divines — who flourished during the reigns of King Charles I and King Charles II — are often mentioned in Anglican life but seldom studied directly. They positioned themselves in … [Read more...] about Caroline Divines for Today
‘Valid in a Certain Context’
By John Martin Pope Leo XIII’s papal bull Apostolicae Curae (1896), which declared Anglican orders “absolutely null and utterly void,” has long cast a shadow over the search for unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Anglican churches’ ordination of women as priests is a further complication, as Pope John Paul II made clear. Now one of the Vatican’s top legal minds … [Read more...] about ‘Valid in a Certain Context’
Treats for the Pope
Pope Francis laughs with choir members during his visit to All Saints’ Anglican Church in Rome • Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters On Feb. 26 Pope Francis became the first Catholic pontiff to visit an Anglican parish in Rome. He used the historic occasion to press for greater unity after centuries of mistrust, prejudices, and hostility between the two churches, the … [Read more...] about Treats for the Pope
Enter Martin Luther
Statue of Martin Luther at St. Mary’s Church, Mitte, Berlin Adam Carr, Wikimedia Commons By John Martin October 31 marks the anniversary of an obscure German monk nailing a notice on the door of the Wittenberg parish church and inviting debate on practices in the medieval church. Martin Luther’s name would soon be known all over Europe. Luther could … [Read more...] about Enter Martin Luther
A Wounded Unity
Archbishop Justin Welby shows the replica of Pope Gregory the Great’s crozier that Pope Francis gave him as a gift. Matthew Olver photo Editorial This piece was prepared for a study day on “Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue after Fifty Years” at Norwich Cathedral, October 8, sponsored by the cathedral and the Living Church Foundation. Our thanks to the Rev. Canon Peter … [Read more...] about A Wounded Unity