Pope Benedict Has Passed

And they ordain women as priests and consecrate them as bishops. With same-sex marriage, that's at least 4-0 for the Anglicans on the progress front. Probably more. I'm not a churchgoer myself, but it feels really good to see this kind of progress, for those who are.

 

My wife and I were married in an Episcopal church in the mid-'90s. Our priest was openly gay and lived with his partner. No lighting for videotaping/cameras during the ceremony, though, and no "Here Comes the Bride."

 

That's OK. Around that time, Eric Clapton's "Peaches and Diesel" (instrumental) was a popular wedding alternative around here, particularly with younger couples. I still like that tune. One of his best.

 

It, too, would not have been allowed. No secular music permitted.

 

Sorry. I didn't know. It was allowed where I lived -- but that was in a different Church - not Anglican / Episcopalian.

 

We selected our priest, Father John, because we admired him and were honored that he would officiate. But we also thought it hilarious that a church that would embrace gay priests would ban secular music and lighting for photography out of tradition. Quirky in a (we felt) charming way.

 

I agree. Quirky - but if they do one, (embrace gay priests) I'm OK with the other - the bans. That kind of trade-off I could accept easily. I can play or listen to music at home - and none of the priests, gay, straight or other, would care. .

 

I have seen "Rusyn" translated as "Ruthenian", and both terms applied to the descendants of Rus', mostly outside of the Russian Empire (didn't Ivan Franko called himself that at some point?) - most of whom identify as Ukrainian now. Rusyn language is considered a Ukrainian dialect by some, and is in any case mutually intelligible with Ukrainian.

 

Correct.

Nonetheless, and just as with married priests, married Bishops are possible in Catholic sacramentology, as they existed in the past (wasn't St. Peter married?). In fact, a married bishop named Dom Salomão Barbosa Ferraz was accepted from the independent Brasilian Catholic Apostolic Church in 1949 and continued to function - as a married Bishop. Not ordaining married men is just an ancient tradition. Having said that, I have not heard of any serious discussions of allowing married Bishops in ROC and rather doubt this can happen any time soon.

 

Of course, there have been married bishops over the centuries (mostly in the early Church rather than now), so using Latin terms, this would mean that the idea of ordaining married men as bishops would be 'illicit' but not 'invalid'. That would mean that they're real bishops but have been unlawfully ordained.

Yet, regarding the ordination of women, the Latins, the Orthodox, and even the Assyrians would say that this would be both illicit (unlawful) and invalid (not real). That is, even if the ceremony were celebrated, said women would not be actual priests or bishops.

As discussed above, this is only the view of the various apostolic Churches. The various Protestant communions and denominations, such as the aforementioned Anglicans, have their own teachings they've developed over the last century or so on this matter.

 

It's one of those things where it depends on where you stand: Anglicans largely (depending on which version of Anglicanism they practice) insist that they are apostolic, but most apostolic Churches (ie the Latins, the various Orthodox, and the Assyrians) don't necessarily see it that way, given the innovations in theology, the Sacraments, and so forth within the Anglican Communion(s) over the last few centuries. For example, here is a rather famous letter from a well-known Orthodox missionary. The Latins have their own qualms with Anglican orders (and likely theology); though, I'm only familiar with this particular encyclical. Perhaps any Latin members could chime in with further details?

Either way, arguments for and against Anglicans' apostolicity have been debated for centuries and largely depended on which side of the divide one found oneself (Anglican vs Catholic/Orthodox). Same goes for some High Church Lutherans and a few other Protestant groups. I don't imagine we'll solve these debates here nor anytime soon.

 

Without a doubt, @SteveFoerster!

And in recent years, relations have been warming between Anglicans and Orthodox over in North America as well: https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/metropolitan-jonah-addresses-acna