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« St. Stephen | Main | O Loveless Town of Bethlehem »

December 26, 2007

England Returns to Rome

Well, not exactly, but the numbers tell the story, that is to say, that on Sundays more Roman Catholics are at worship than are members of the Church of England (which, according to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, you can join regardless of whether you believe in some bit of doctrine like the Virgin Birth).  The latest to join the Catholic Church there, of course, is former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

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I was baptized as an infant in a non-Catholic church and then received into the Catholic Church as a young adult, so I am happy to welcome Mr. Blair. However, since I'm RC, let me hasten to add that the story told by "the numbers" is not really so pro-Roman: The plurality of people attending RC Mass does not represent a renewed interest in Catholicism so much as a general apostasy in and from the Church of England.

I will hope that the reception of thoughtful men such as Mr. Blair may inspire renewed faithfulness among others, but I will not bet any money on it.

Posted by: DGP | Dec 26, 2007 8:53:37 PM

Blair didn't seem too thoughtful about defending Catholic moral principles when he ran the government.

Posted by: Christopher Hathaway | Dec 26, 2007 10:45:04 PM

Blair's actions as PM will continue to be a source of scandal if he does not clarify that he has accepted the RCC's teachings on abortion, homosexual "marriage" etc. etc. etc...

Till then, many of his new co-religionists will view his joining as a sham.

Posted by: bonobo | Dec 27, 2007 11:37:21 AM

Didn't he back out of most of the hot subjects? His government was probably more friendly to conservative social positions than the party as a whole and when these issues came to the fore he was, to put it mildly, in a fight for his political life. If we have some English posters they might be able to comment further, but that's what I understood.

Not A Catholic

Posted by: Nick | Dec 27, 2007 11:48:59 AM

He forced his cabinet to follow him into Iraq by threatening to resign. It was an ultimatum, not an empty threat and he lost close colleagues like Robin Cook over it.

If he'd had convictions remotely resembling the RCC position on these issues, he'd have brought many positive changes to the UK. That's why his 'conversion'(*) is deeply suspect.

(*)A term of convenience. In deference to Anglicans, I do not regard a move from the AC to the RCC as a 'conversion'.

Posted by: bonobo | Dec 27, 2007 12:33:41 PM

Not to mention his government's active hostility to Christianity, including Catholicism in England and Scotland. Including the matter of not allowing the Cahtolic Church to both be faithful to its teachings and be involved in the adoption of children.

But then, is the Catholic Church in England any more orthodox than the Anglican Church in England? Are her bishops faithful to the magisterium?

Posted by: labrialumn | Dec 28, 2007 1:36:44 AM

Not in an exemplary fashion, I would venture to say.

Posted by: bonobo | Dec 28, 2007 2:08:13 PM

A bit of perspective from Robert T. Miller at First Things, here.

The current state of affairs, really isn't good news for either church, when one looks at the cold hard facts.

Posted by: Will S. | Dec 28, 2007 2:12:18 PM

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