Women bishops further split Catholics, Anglicans

Last Monday was a sad day for ecumenism. The decision by the General Synod of the Church of England to proceed with plans to ordain women bishops means that all the progress registered during the talks with the Catholic Church has been thrown overboard. The General Synod's decision is expected to be implemented within two or three years.

One of the stumbling blocks between the two Churches is the 1896 papal bull Apostolicae Curae. That document had declared Anglican orders "absolutely null and utterly void". During talks spanning a number of years, progress had been registered between the two Churches.

The discussion on the subject of orders somewhat cooled because of the Anglican community's ordination of women priests. But there was still an open door. The office of bishops was not affected by the decision taken a decade ago. This meant that Apostolic succession - which is guaranteed through the office of bishops - was still intact. The ordination of women bishops, which the Catholic Church considers to be null, means that this will eventually no longer be the case.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, who has been tirelessly working for unity between the two Churches had said before the vote that if women bishops are allowed, the goal of restoring full communion between Catholics and Anglicans "would realistically no longer exist" because it could not exist "without full communion in the episcopal office".

The Vatican expressed its disappointment. "Such a decision means a break from the apostolic tradition maintained by all the churches of the first millennium and is, therefore, a further obstacle for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England," said the statement published by the Vatican press office.

However, not all contacts between the Catholic and the Anglican Churches have been broken. A Vatican statement on Tuesday said that at the invitation of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Cardinal Kasper would have an opportunity to speak during the Lambeth Conference, in England, to be held between Wednesday and August 3 "to present the Catholic position" on issues currently causing tension within the Anglican Communion. These issues include structures for maintaining the unity of the Church, the ordination of women bishops, the ordination of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions.

The Lambeth Conference, held every 10 years, brings together most of the world's Anglican bishops for reflection, prayer and discussions about common concerns.