ANGLO-CATHOLICISM FOR PROGRESSIVES

The Anglo-Catholic wing of the Anglican tradition has a long history. Within that wing, there are believers who affirm a more progressive vision of Anglo-Catholicism that embraces a vision of inclusivity, diversity and social action. Many affirming Anglo-Catholics support the full integration of women and gays and lesbians into the life of the Church. Basic Principles One of the main groups spearheading a progressive vision of Anglo-Catholicism is Affirming Catholicism, which began in Britain and Ireland and has spread to the United States and Canada. Below is the Statement of Principles for the US group. Statement of Principles Affirming Anglo-Catholicism: ”AFFIRMS THAT The Anglican Communion is holy, Catholic, apostolic. AFFIRMS THAT The riches of the Catholic tradition are needed throughout the Church to further Christian mission. AFFIRMS THAT Full inclusion of lay and ordained people in Church government, and of both men and women in the threefold ministry, reinforces the Catholic integrity of our vision. THEREFORE Our vocation is to build... -Disciplined lives of regular prayer, study and worship -Commitment to the social and moral transformation of the world -Models of love and community for all seeking to follow the Gospel -A living Catholic tradition to carry the gifts of the past into the future -Liturgy to inspire holiness and relate the greatness of God to his people today WE AFFIRM THE INVISIBLE UNITY, AND CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY, OF ALL CHRISTIANS IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH WE BELIEVE THAT BY AFFIRMING ANGLICANISM WE ARE AFFIRMING CATHOLICISM”

Affirming Catholicism is a renewal movement of Anglo-Catholicism, in the US and Canada, allied to British/Irish Affirming Catholicism. One of the primary goals of Affirming Catholicism is the retrieval and reinsertion of the doctrine of the Trinity into the centre of Church life. Indeed, the 'deposit' of Catholicism is to be honoured precisely because it leads us deeper into the ever-expansive Catholicity of the Holy Spirit. Affirming Catholicism is thus a movement of hope which honours the mystery of the Trinitarian fullness and believes this will always have unforeseen and liberating consequences for Christian living. We are therefore: Committed to a reappropriation of the fullness of Catholic doctrine. Committed to the full insights of a Catholic feminism. Committed to the refashioning of a Catholic social praxis for our time. - FROM THE AFFIRMING ANGLICAN CATHOLICISM SITE IN THE UNITED STATES GREAT LINKS http://www.affirmingcatholicism.org/us/default.html The U.S. Affirming Anglo-Catholicism site. http://www.affirmingcatholicism.org.uk/ The U.K. Affirming Anglo-Catholicism site. http://www.anglocatholicsocialism.org/ The site for Anglo-Catholic Socialism. http://www.anglocatholicsocialism.org/jubilee.html “The Jubilee Group is a loose network of socialist Christians who stand mainly within the Catholic Tradition of Anglicanism, We began in 1974 as a support group for left-wing priests in the East End of London and, over a number of years, grew into a national and international network within the 'Catholic Left'.” http://www.cowley.org/books/williams.asp This book is by Rowan Williams, now Archbishop of Wales. Archbishop Williams was a leader in the vanguard of the Affirming Anglo-Catholicism movement.