It was King Henry VIII that started the whole Anglican-Catholic rift. What started like a simple quarrel, grew to become something that to date, a lasting repair is becoming impossible.
This is because no one wan gree for anyone.
In those days, it was truly a fight. . . a bloody one.
Anglicans say they are in charge of England and anything belonging to The Catholic Church in England is now their property. Catholics say it is not possible. England's parliament passed laws to kukuma make it difficult to practice Catholicism in England.
That quarrel that started in 1534 by King Henry VIII, the effect is still with us to date.
Do you know that the name “Roman Catholic Church” came from Anglicans? It was used as an insult. This is because after England broke out of the Catholic Church, most of them still referred to themselves as “Catholics” to imply that they were the real Catholics. Then, they added “Roman” to those other Catholics who still see the Pope as their head. They regarded those as fake Catholics.
In history, and in all fairness, there have been efforts to resolve the differences between Anglican and Catholic.
As you would have noticed, the two denominations have so many things in common. The difference in doctrines is also not much. Their liturgical pattern and worship are similar as well.
It was after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) that the Catholic Church opened discussions with the Anglican Communion in an attempt to reconcile the churches’ historical differences.
A commission to carry out a dialogue was created. The Anglican Centre in Rome was created. The center serves as a sort of embassy for Anglicans to the Vatican.
But something happened during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI from 2005 to 2013. Some Anglican clerics decided to become Catholic. This was as a result of the approval by the Anglican church on women's ordination, joining gay couples in marriage, and ordaining non-celibate gay priests.
In response to Anglicans’ desires to be received into the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 created the personal ordinariate for Anglicans.
The ordinariate is an ecclesiastical apparatus by which entire Anglican parishes, including priests, can be received into the Catholic Church while still keeping some elements of Anglican worship.
A year after the ordinariate was created, some Anglican Bishops became Catholics. As at the moment, there are at least 15 Anglican bishops who have become Catholics. Many parishes and lay people from Anglican have become Catholics.
It is to this same ordinariate that Pope Francis recently appointed as bishop one of the priests who became Catholic and was ordained a Catholic priest. He is to serve this growing community as their shepherd. Ever since the creation of the ordinariate, it will be the first time they will be having a Bishop who shares the same Anglican background as them.
What happens when an Anglican priest or bishop decides to join the Catholic Church?
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π· The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Francis met in 2016 to mark 50 years of ecumenical dialogue that was meant to foster a closer relationship between Anglican and Catholic.