22 junho 2008

schism


It is now official: there is a schism in the Anglican Church (see here and here).

I consider this an event of major proportions and huge consequences. First, because the Church of England is the largest Protestant Church with about 80 million adherents worldwide, mostly in anglo-saxonic countries, and the third largest Christian denomination after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. A major consequence of the schism is that the Protestant mouvement against the Catholic Church which started more than four hundred years ago might well be going into a downward spiral now.

Second, the Anglican Church is the official church of England, headed by the Queen. The schism in the Church is in itself a very powerful sign of a deep division in British society on moral issues, such as gay marriage. This does not bode well for the stability of British society and British institutions in the near future.

Third, the schism is centered on three issues, namely, the ordination of gay bishops, gay marriage and the ordination of women. All this is a direct consequence of that British liberalism which the Refomation made possible with its emphasis on freedom of thought and democracy which led directly to cultural relativism and to the multiplicity of special-interest-groups' mouvements in defense of their alleged rights. It is British liberalism that is ultimately at stake with the schism in the Church of England.

Fourth, the main beneficiary of this crisis in the Church of England is obviously the Catholic Church and Catholic culture. For it is in Catholicism that we can find the rock-solid, time-tested doctrine which is not subject to popular discussion or approval but is instead guarded by the unlimited, undisputed personal authority of the Pope.

Fifth, if countries of Catholic culture decide to live according to their own traditions and institutions, and not imitating those which are Protestant and British, I am persuaded that in less than half a century they are set to play a major role in Western Civilization again. Catholicism is already the main faith in Britain after the recent immigration of a large number of Poles. In a few decades it will ultimately prevail in the United States as well.

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