Odd one out

Mgr Keith Newton                Abp Barry Morgan              Abp Vincent Nichols

Two belong to the catholic church, the other just says that he does after securing agreement that women priests can be admitted to the episcopate in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in his Province.

Wikipedia: "Catholicism (from Greek καθολικισμός, catholikismos, "according to the whole") is a broad term for describing specific traditions in the Christian churches in theology and doctrine, liturgy, ethics and spirituality. For many the term usually refers to Christians and churches, western and eastern, in full communion with the Holy See, usually known as the Catholic Church or the Roman Catholic Church. However, many others use the term to refer to other churches with historical continuity from the first millennium.

In the sense of indicating historical continuity of faith and practice, the term "Catholicism" is at times employed to mark a contrast to Protestantism, which tends to look solely to the Bible as interpreted on the principles of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation as its ultimate standard. It was thus used by the Oxford Movement."

Some Anglican Provinces have moved away from Catholicism towards Protestantism while still claiming a catholic identity, perhaps because to look solely to the Bible causes them insoluble problems. Affirming Catholicism is a classic case of serving their own interests. Using the tag "Inspiration and hope in the Anglican Communion" another source explains: "The movement represents a liberal strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is particularly noted for holding that Anglo-Catholic belief and practice is compatible with the ordination of women. It also generally supports ordination into the threefold ministry (bishops, priests, deacons) regardless of gender or sexual orientation". [My emphasis-Ed.]

Similarly, the Society of Catholic Priests draws its membership from Anglican priests who pretend to be part of the Anglo-Catholic tradition while departing from it having seen which way the wind was blowing. They make excuses about their orders not being recognised as though two wrongs make a right and claim to have reconsidered their positions after seeing the pain women suffered by not being accepted for ordination but are incapable of seeing the pain being caused to other women and men who believe that their actions are contrary to the teaching and tradition of the catholic church.

They also conveniently forget what Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher said: “We have no doctrine of our own.  We only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic Creeds, and these creeds we hold without addition or diminution.  We stand firm on that rock.”

Others do not. Abp Barry Morgan is the odd one out.