for Dunadan and his friends

"Williams faces historic choice, says Vatican" blazes the major headline in the Catholic Herald, and continues, "The time has come for Anglican leaders to choose between Protestantism and the ancient Churches of Rome and Orthodoxy." The Vatican spokesman is one Cardinal Walter Kasper, the President of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity (don't they like their long titles). What rubbish! The man clearly has no understanding at all of the nature of the Anglican Church. It has for ever in my lifetime (some 67 years) been a monument to the broad-mindedness of the British people. The Orthodox, Roman and all other Protestant churches follow a clearly prescribed and essentially prescriptive path - and that is not meant as a censure but as a truism. Ever since the Victorians came up with the Oxford and Tractarian movements the Anglican path has been available to all and sundry. Consequently "are you a huntin, shootin, fishin, third son of the gentry? then it's the Church for you me lad, and no arguments" -#1 was the heir and #2 went into the army. Either side of these poor chaps were on the one hand the Low Church Evangelicals and on the other the "hey man, we're not going to bow down to no Pope, and we want to be married too" High church reverends. As for theology , well every possible doctrine and liberal thought is part and parcel of the whole set-up. The very essence of Anglicanism is such that one might as well say we had to choose between sushi and the ancient culinary delight of fish and chips. Come on Wally, there is room for all in the Good Ship CofE, and don't deny us our little island idiosyncrasy - and let their noble reverends have their little 20 minute chat over tea and biscuits or whatever. Come to think of it, how many major decisions have ever been made in 20 minutes? Actually, probably most marriages, and without the tea and biscuits.