On the Prophetic Abilities of British Comedians

Who'd have thought--Fry and Laurie=prophets?

But lo-behold:

Bishop John Broadhurst, Bishop of Fulham in the Anglican diocese of London, is to resign his post later this year to join the Pope’s Ordinariate. The Catholic Herald’s Anna Arco broke the story, also revealing that Bishop Broadhurst will stay as chairman of Forward in Faith, which he says is “not a Church of England organisation”. It sounds as if traditional Anglo-Catholicism is undergoing a major shift (or crisis) of allegiance, because FiF, though not representative of everyone in that constituency, was the main body for Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England opposed to women bishops and priests. Now it seems to be heading towards Roman Catholicism...

The Ordinariate is picking up momentum. Not only is the chairman of Forward in Faith joining, but so is the president of the Church Union, the Rt Rev Edwin Barnes, retired Bishop of Richborough. So that makes four C of E bishops we know are crossing the Tiber: +John Broadhurst, +Andrew Burnham, +Keith Newton and +Edwin Barnes, and there will be others. Critics of the Ordinariate may scoff at its small size – and I really do think it will be small when it launches early next year – but the fact remains that three out of the four bishops appointed by Synod to minister to traditionalists are joining this new semi-autonomous Catholic body set up by Pope Benedict XVI...

The success of Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain has help moved things along, no doubt about it. I’m sure the Ordinariate was at the back of the Holy Father’s mind throughout his trip, and he explicitly asked the Bishops of England and Wales to support it just before he left. Here’s a thought: one reason the Pope and Mgr Marini were so anxious that the liturgy at Westminster Cathedral should be done properly (rather than mucked around by Eccleston Square) may have been a desire to show Anglo-Catholics that the mother church of England and Wales was in full command of the Roman liturgy. These things matter to those Anglicans who go to great lengths to master the Roman Rite themselves. (As I’ve written before, I hope Anglo-Catholic parishes that reject the Pope’s offer will tone down the Roman stuff.)..

I think we can say that, although it will be modest in size, the Personal Ordinariate for England is a big deal.

It is being set up by a major decree of the Pope; it will offer ex-Anglicans an unprecedented degree of independence from unsympathetic local RC bishops; it will form part of a worldwide network that will include the former leaders of the independent Traditional Anglican Communion (now entering into full communion with the Holy See); and it has already attracted the support of well-known English Anglo-Catholic bishops as well as enthusiastic younger clergy. The nature of its “patrimony” will vary from place to place, but Bishop Burnham has already made it clear that its priority is evangelism. This is a historic change to the English ecclesiastical landscape, arguably the true culmination of the Oxford Movement, and an answer to many prayers – including, perhaps, those of Blessed John Henry Newman.