I’m a little confused…individual Anglicans? Or congregations? If it’s individual Anglicans, I’m not sure what it would mean for them to be able to maintain their distinctive spiritual and liturgical traditions. Anglican priests who are married and then convert are already allowed to become priests - at least that was my understanding.

Scott-

As the Episcopalian arm of the Anglican Church continues to move left, the traditionalist movement of the Episcopalian community is being left behind. These individuals and congregations have far more in common with Catholicism than they do with the average Episcopalian church and have little in common with the U.S. House of Bishops and their proclamations. It is not opportunism, but rather a way for the formerly schismatic to return to their proper home.

Here is a great timeline of some of the events leading up to these problems.
http://www.tmatt.net/2009/07/20/chopping-that-anglican-timeline/

Looks to me like the Catholic Church changing the rules to increase it’s following.

George Carlin: “(God) loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more.”

Scott…
You beat me to the punch! Honestly, from an ecumenical perspective, I would think it would be hard to not see this as sheep-stealing. The New York Times story points out that if congregations/dioceses get involved, property issues would rise to the surface. Which, I think, could inevitably get ugly. Rome has accepted conservative “Anglo-Catholics” for a long time on a case-by-case basis without any problems, so this wratchets it all up a notch. Nevertheless, I guess it signals again the real and deep turmoil in the Anglican Communion.

Travis-

How is this sheep stealing? The Anglican Communion and the Episcopalian branch of it have left the traditionalist Anglicans, not the other way around.

Is it the fault of these traditionalists that their theology is not a product of modernism and still maintains continuity with the Catholic Church from which they separated? I think it would be hard not to see that this is direct result of the Anglican communion eschewing any connection they had left to the Apostolic teachings.

If ‘they’ be sheep then it is certainly sheep stealing but if ‘they’ be believers then it is an invitation and to give them a choice.

A few years ago I noticed large signs outside many ‘evangelical’ churches around town announcing that Bosnian translation was available for those who came to Sunday worship. There had just been an influx of a large Bosnian community that was mostly Muslim but admittedly many had, with a generation+ of communist rule, very weak religious affiliation and, like most immigrants, a strong desire to be assimilated and accepted in their new community. Others may have thought of that as stealing Muslim sheep but it seemed to me as just an invitation to those who may jump over if the fence/choice became lower/easier :).

Personally, I believe that the Catholic Church would rather take in new members than deal with keeping current members that are falling away. I also believe that Jesus wanted his followers to be more inclusive rather than divisive and exclusive.

Flaco….

I’m not sure whether it is actually sheep-stealing, but either way, it can be readily perceived as sheep-stealing. I would certainly not blame Anglican “traditionalists” for that. I regret the choices they have to make irregardless of the Vatican.

But allow me this hypothetical analogy: Suppose there are two churches (X and Y) in a neighborhood. Church X is thrown into deep turmoil, on the verge of schism. Church Y, having already received some new members, announces to the community, “We just want everyone to know that we have now expedited the process whereby members of Church X can now more easily join our church than they could before.” To me, it would be all too easy to interpret that as Church Y trying to profit off of Church X’s misery. At the very least, I think it would strike the neighborhood as distasteful.

Travis-

I understand your sentiments. However, I view members of the TAC as well as the conservative/traditionalist elements of the Anglican Communion as closer to Catholicism than they are to the Anglican Communion. Many of them apparently feel the same way. As the Anglicans have been falling victim to the scourge of relativism, the TAC and traditionalists in the Communion have not veered from the teachings that were the basis of their religion. Henry VIII notwithstanding.

As a Catholic, I view this as my fellow brothers in Christ returning home. Might it seem distasteful to some? Yes. However, the Pope was not merely extending an invitation, he was answering the knock at the door.

Travis, for the record I also have tremendous respect for the LCMS as a religion that has not walked down the path of relativism. Maybe one day you all might swim the Tiber too.

I conclude with sharing one of the most to-the-point opinions I have read all day.

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2009/10/editorial-note-time-is-up.html

One more bit of information…

Here is an article about an order of Episcopalian nuns joining the Church.

http://www.getreligion.org/?p=17637

This is not an isolated occurrence.