I had just about given up on the The Traditional Anglican Church (England) website, when I found Canon Gray’s new monthly letter informing us of work going on in England. There are some aspects that I find very positive.

This letter gives me encouragement that pieces are being picked up and that the language used is measured and temperate. Canon Gray is a man after my own heart in that he uses Occam’s Razor in his way of thinking – simplicity is the best way of explaining things. The Americans would say – Cut the bullshit! This whole crisis was brought about by the way Archbishop Hepworth sought and obtained consent from the TAC College of Bishops to go ahead with a plan to seek some kind of corporate union of the TAC with Rome without actually dictating the precise canonical solution but talking of union without absorption.

What came out of Rome’s inventive mind was something very similar to what was asked for, but done in such a way as to eliminate the use of the TAC and other Anglican groups as ‘ratlines’ for irregular Roman Catholic clergy. The solution was simple: maintain the invalidity of all Anglican orders, Anglican Communion and TAC alike, receive everyone as lay people and then ordain those considered as suitable for the priesthood. The new groups in the Roman Catholic Church are not organically the same as the old ones, but often, such a group would consist of the same people and continue to use the same buildings, as in the case of the Canadian sodalities. For those who have joined ordinariates, this solution has not disturbed them in any significant way. The drama is only for the excluded clergy, and who cares about them?

OK, this is  not an attack against Rome. Some other blogs are discussing the Ordinariates and expressing some dissatisfaction. What is more, some of those involved were unconditional about ramming the ordinariates down everyone’s throats only a few weeks or months ago. I want no part in those discussions, since the problem does not concern me. The CDF and other Roman Catholic clergy have been given a thorny problem to solve, and they have made a success of it – truly in their tradition of pragmatism and canonical coherence. The ‘ratlines’ are kept out and laicised Roman clergy stay out. As I have been saying in the two previous postings, it hasn’t all been Archbishop Hepworth’s fault, but he was at the helm the whole time. I am personally a witness to this.

I was present at the meeting in Portsmouth, and one thing I noticed is that most of the TAC bishops were spellbound. I saw very little in the way of critical reflection, but rather the phenomenon of jumping onto a bandwagon. Most of those bishops had elected Archbishop Hepworth to be Primate of the TAC in the first place, and had no objection to his having been a Roman Catholic priest and in such a matrimonial situation as Rome would never accept him as a priest. Of course, the Pope can dispense any law of ecclesiastical institution, but he would only ever do so for the good of the Church.

There are about 150,000 men in the world in similar canonical situations to that of Archbishop Hepworth – or myself having been a convert and ordained a deacon.

The only way Rome could proceed was the old-fashioned way – individual conversions, albeit with the persons remaining socially connected and being allowed to continue their old customs with very little modification. Certainly, Archbishop Hepworth knew this, but being up-front about it in October 2007 – with the cold shower of reality – would have killed the whole Rome-bound project in the bud. The myth of intercommunion or some kind of uniatism came about – give the bishops hope that the church would be received rather than individual persons. The TAC bishops just went along with it without any open criticism or insistence that the project should be submitted to consultations and lengthy paper-shuffling. Bureaucracy and committees are frustrating, but they are necessary. All that happened was that Archbishop Hepworth produced a document and offered it for discussion. What then happened was surreal – there were just some suggestions for amendments and rewording, just a correction or two but no substantial discussion. OK? Approved? Let’s get on with it!

As in any situation of dictatorship against democracy in secular politics, democracy has to be upheld on pain of it being abolished. Absolute power corrupts. After World War II, international law upheld the collective responsibility of the German people for what happened under Hitler. No one could hide behind having to obey orders and shirk moral responsibility! Of course, I am not insinuating that Archbishop Hepworth is / was corrupt or seeking power, but there is some measure of a comparison to teach us all a salutary lesson. I want to emphasise that each and every bishop, except those who have gone to the Roman Catholic Church, carries a millstone of guilt. All sins can be forgiven, but I cannot abide self-righteousness or those who adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. I appeal for this element never to be forgotten or papered over.

Privately, some bishops were against and said they wanted no part of it until they had the consent of their own people – but they all traipsed up to the altar. “That faith we aspire to hold”, rather than actually being prepared to make an immediate commitment. Oh yes, plenty of wiggling room, so that you could sign the bloody thing without it being an oath according to which you believe the Roman Catholic Church to be the true Church and unconditional surrender was to become an absolute moral obligation! So they signed the letter and the two books that were taken to Rome by Messrs Hepworth, Mercer and Wilkinson.

I see a measure of collective weakness and shirking of responsibility. If Archbishop Hepworth was manipulating and loading the dice, the other bishops were going along with it and abdicating their own responsibility. I also blame ignorance of Roman Catholic canon law and custom. Rome doesn’t “do” intercommunion, and the existence of Eastern Rite uniate Churches in history hasn’t entirely been without problems, a thorn in the side of ecumenism with the Orthodox. Another thing we took for granted was that Rome was going to stick two fingers up at Canterbury, finish with ecumenism and go the whole hog with Anglican uniatism. Pope Benedict XVI may be many things, but he is not a fool. Ecumenism is here to stay. Rome does business with official state Churches – and others are told they can stay where they are and dialogue more or less marginally, or convert.

In a nutshell, if Hepworth is a manipulator, the other bishops shared his guilt by shirking responsibility. Some have done the logical thing – they have become Roman Catholic laymen and will probably be ordained Roman Catholic priests within a fairly sort time. Some are already ordained. A few in the “new” TAC were not involved as bishops in the Portsmouth College of Bishops meeting of October 2007, so can thus avoid this sharing of responsibility and guilt.

I have been racked by doubts of the “new” TAC’s legitimacy. Is it the TAC? I am unsure, but there is another element. Instead of concentrating on organic continuity and legitimacy, we could instead see a more humble approach – we have all done the wrong thing, and we are called to put things right. I am not in the place of Archbishop Prakash or Bishop Gill, or Bishop Botterill or Canon Gray. But, I do believe they are right in picking up the pieces and rebuilding the waste place. The Ordinariates are not the solution for everybody, and there needs to be a Church for them (or us). Some stick with the old visceral anti-Catholic prejudices, overhanging from the Reformation polemics, but I think they are in the minority. I believe that most of us who are left should rebuild with material that is so imperfect and sinful, but that is our human condition.

I also take stock of personal experience of marginal churches and ‘independent’ ecclesial existence. We really do seem to have to make a choice between doctrinal integrity or institutional integrity. Some people change churches to seek perfection or a break to the sheer mediocrity he was experiencing. Wisdom seems to dictate that we do better to stay with the Church we were brought up in and take stock of the fact that life is bigger than churches and superficial religion. Indeed, we would have been better to stay Anglicans where we originated, stay Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Evangelicals or whatever. In that logic, some of our numbers have returned to the Anglican Communion and thereafter have to come to terms with a new reality. I will not judge them.

Whilst I am critical of the ordination of women on theological grounds (cf. the constant teaching of Rome and the Orthodox Churches), I am also increasingly critical of conservative religion and exaggerated certitude. Whilst I love traditional forms of liturgy and artistic culture, I have to make the most obvious observation that the greatest genius comes from a liberal and tolerant mind, open to higher realities than sectarian certitudes. That is the way I was brought up – to tolerate difference and see good in the other. I will go further, many of us have been fighting the wrong war for years, where a little self criticism and questioning of certitudes would have gone a long way. Perhaps it is too late for some of us, but we are here to teach posterity and construct the future – despite man’s inability to learn and capitalise on experience.

The splits occurred, and clergy and laity alike find themselves in marginal communities trying to make the square pegs fit into round holes. They want to live a Christian life, and believe the Church subsists in their community as it also does in other local Churches and where two or three are gathered in his name. Would it be better to blow everything to hell, or make do with imperfection and do good where others have done evil or acquiesced in weakness?

If the “new” TAC is operating in this perspective, then I think it should continue and pray for God’s blessing.

As for England, I am glad to hear that the TTAC is not moribund or already dead. Rebuilding has begun with the nomination of Bishop Craig Botterill as Episcopal Visitor like Bishop Moyer before him, as the continuing of Canon Ian Gray in office as Vicar General. The TTAC is too small to justify its having its own Bishop. The three vacant deaneries have been refilled and there are sixteen priests. Canon Gray intends to issue a list, and this is only a great encouragement to those who had written the TTAC’s obituary. The website is to be taken in hand, and I look forward to it being updated and turned to the future.

We are called to humility, a confession of our collective faults and weaknesses, and then an effort to rebuild would meet with God’s blessing.

I will say no more, but rather let Canon Gray speak for himself:

* * *

My Dear Friends,

We have at long last reached a moment in our history where stability and order have now been formally re-established within our communion.

The College of Bishops meeting that took place in Johannesburg was correctly convened and ordered strictly within the disciplines and structures as specified within the Concordat. I have read many varying accounts of the issues that led up to the calling of the College of Bishops meeting and find it most disturbing that so much was written that was simply unable to be substantiated as fact.

The reality is that we had reached a crisis within our Communion and despite reasoned and valid efforts to try and resolve the situation within a spirit of Christian love and cooperation in the end the choices were limited to the events that have taken place.

Our former Archbishop John Hepworth did in fact resign and had no mandate within the Concordat to organise the election of his successor, furthermore every effort was made to work with him to bring about an ordered close to his term of office. But let us look at the issue that in the final analysis to brought us to the point of crisis.

The offer from Rome of personal conversion to the Roman Catholic Church was never formally debated within the context of a College of Bishops meeting, in fact no meeting was held. Despite repeated requests by Bishops within our communion for such a meeting to be called it was resisted.

I know from my own conversations over many months with Bishops from all parts of the communion that every effort was made to engage with our former Archbishop to try and resolve the situation but sadly without success. The College of Bishops meeting was therefore called with the full knowledge of Archbishops, Bishops and Vicars General and had the consent and agreement of the vast majority to take place. All were served notice of the meeting and invited to attend.

In the event the meeting took place and was chaired by Archbishop Samuel Prakash of India at that time the second most senior Bishop within the communion. Legal advice was given by Chancellor Paul du Plessis of South Africa, an expert on the concordat and a Judge within the South African Judiciary.

The meeting was held within a spirit of Love, Humility and Unity as the members present began the process of restoring peace and order to our Communion. The resignation of Archbishop Hepworth was accepted with immediate effect and Archbishop Prakesh appointed as acting primate. Bishop Michael Gill was appointed as Secretary to the College replacing Lay Canon Woodman.

The College formally rejected the offer from Rome of personal conversion and declared its intention to Continue as the Traditional Anglican Communion. The lawful decisions taken by the College of Bishops within Synod are binding on every Church within the Communion and that very much includes The Traditional Anglican Church.

So let me be very clear on the point, we are a viable and continuing Anglican Church within the Traditional Anglican Communion.

So now we have arrived at the point where we can leave our recent troubled past behind us and move forward with renewed vigour and confidence for the future. It is a matter of personal regret that there has been unpleasantness and resentment within the Church and the sad and in several cases regrettable departure of some of our Brethren. For those who have achieved their desire to enter the Ordinariate I wish them every blessing. For those who are uncertain about their futures or have left the communion I extend to them an open invitation to meet directly with me or the respective Area Deans to examine all options especially to continue as members of TTAC.

So where are we now? We have a new Episcopal Visitor Bishop Craig Botterill of Canada, again may I extend a hand of warm welcome to Bishop Craig on behalf of us all. I would also like to place on record my heartfelt thanks for the care, love and support for our former Episcopal Visitor Bishop David Moyer.

We now have three new Area Deans, Father David Price (South) Father Michael Massey (West) and Father Tony Fry (North). We have at present sixteen priests committed to continue and two enquires. A full list will be issued later this month and I will be asking Father Aird if he will kindly prepare a intercessions booklet.

Sadly our registrar Father Michael Gray is no longer with us which matter of personal regret on my part. Father Michael has served the Church well over very many years and will be sadly missed by us all. Father Michael has also maintained our Web site and in cooperation with him we are constructing a new Web Site which will be launched in June. Paul Jones at St Katherine’s Priory has been appointed to maintain the site going forward.

I will be meeting the Area Deans to appoint a new Advisory Council in July; work will also commence to prepare the agenda for our annual Assembly which will be held in Lincoln in October. Our finances and tithing are considerably depleted albeit our strategic reserves are still intact. I will be trying to resolve the issue of appointing a new treasurer with the Deans in July.

There is no need for us to reinvent ourselves, we simply need to reaffirm ourselves to the mission of the Church and commit ourselves to Evangelism and Growth. Many have written the obituary notices for the TTAC in the mistaken belief that the events of recent times spelt our demise, far from it. We can look forward to the future with confidence and in the certain knowledge that we now have a completely unified and dedicated College of Bishops who are working and praying tirelessly on behalf of each and every one of us.

May Almighty God Bless and Keep you All.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Father Ian Gray +

Vicar General.