Ordinariate Watch: Christian Unity: A Prayer of the Ages

The Roman Catholic Church in official statements, in homilies, press conferences, and interviews and through the Roman Catholic media is promoting the Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans in the Roman Catholic Church as a form of ecumenism. A number of identifiable talking points are emerging. This article is the latest spin of the Vatican's ecclesiastical adventurism. It is in part directed at Roman Catholics and in part is for wider consumption. The process that we are observing may from a sociological perspective be described as "myth-making."

The work of promoting unity between Christians was begun by Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, who taught his disciples to love one another and to forgive each other their faults. He chose Peter and his successor to be the visible head of his Church, and before his death, he prayed to the Father that all his disciples would maintain the unity of the faith and thus give glory to God and lead others to believe in God. Christians, out of human weakness and fallen nature, have however, been divided over the centuries. From the first centuries, bishops and Christian writers have attempted to reunite separated Christians with mixed results.

The greatest divisions among Christians resulted in separation with the Orthodox in the 11th century, and Protestants and Anglicans in 16th centuries. These divisions had many complicated causes, including cultural and political elements, and led to greater separation. There were significant efforts to heals these divisions at the Second Council of Lyons (1274) and the Council of Trent (1545-1563), respectively, but the attempts failed.

The cause for Christian unity, however, continued because it was the last will of its founder, and because of the inner logic of Christian life. In the 19th century, the missionary activity of Christians in parts of Africa led to a greater awareness of the urgent need for Christian unity. How could missionaries preach the Gospel of Christ if they were separated and at odds with one another?

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