Anglicanism

Anglicanism could be defined as the faith, practice and spirit of the member Churches of the Anglican Communion, that is, Churches in full communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. deep roots in the past: Rowan Williams described Anglicanism as what happened to the Church in England, Wales and Ireland during the reformation of the century XVI and later. In addition, it has deep roots in previous centuries: the core of the Anglican faith is found in the Bible, the Thirty-nine Articles of the Christian Faith, and the Book of Common Prayer, which summarize the Church's teaching of the first five centuries and reject both the later evolution of the Catholic Church and the simplifications of Unitarianism. Recently, with divisions over doctrinal and moral issues, there has been extended to groups outside of the Angelic Communion na. (see partial list).

Different Anglican branches

• Anglican Communion
• Anglican Continuing Movement
  • Traditional Anglican Communion
  • Anglican Catholic Church (traditionalist)
• Reformed Episcopal Church

Origins of the term "Anglicanism"

The term "Anglicanism" was first used in 1838. XII, it is found in documents forming part of the Latin phrase ecclesia anglicana. At that period this meant English Church, that is, that part of the Western or Latin church which existed in England. The adjective was used as a synonym for "English" until the XVIII when it began to acquire theological nuances that defined the religious position of the Church of England vis-à-vis Catholics and Calvinists. From there, it spread to the Churches transplanted by the English to other countries during the period of colonial expansion and this determined the meaning of the word Anglicanism.

The Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion, a broad fellowship of 40 mutually dependent self-governing provinces that are in full communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, is one of the largest Christian communions in the world, with approximately 98 million members.

The Anglican Communion considers itself a full part of the Christian Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and considers itself Catholic and Reformed.

For many Anglicans, it also represents a form of non-papal Catholicism, and for others, a form of Protestantism without founding figures such as Martin Luther or John Calvin.

But in the line of classical Anglicanism, the approaches of the Elizabethan theologian of the XVI century Richard Hooker in Essays on Ecclesiastical Polity continue to express Anglican identity as a prudent blend between these two Christian traditions, a "middle way" between the two, through a balanced application of three essential criteria of faith and ethics:

1. Holy Scripture,
2. the Apostolic Tradition
3. The Reason.

Thus, with some differences in doctrinal and liturgical emphasis, the Churches of the Anglican Communion maintain their unity mainly through sacramental communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the celebration of the Liturgy according to the different authorized versions of the Common Prayer Book.

Values and outstanding features

In 1888 the Lambeth Conference proposed as a basis for the gathering of the Churches four elements commonly known as the Lambeth Quadrangle:

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as 'containing all things necessary for salvation', as the ultimate rule and rule of faith.
2. The Apostolic Creed as a baptismal creed; the Nicene Creed, as a sufficient definition of the Christian faith.
3. The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself—Baptism and the Eucharist—administered without fault with the words of the institution of Christ, and the elements ordained by him.
4. The historical episcopate, adapted locally — in terms of its administrative methods — to the varied needs of the nations and peoples called by God to the unity of their Church.

These four elements summarize the core of the Anglican faith and would be understood in light of the triad: Scripture, Tradition and Reason, which would serve as triple criteria to discern Christian faith and ethics.

Among Anglicans there is no proper veneration of saints; Rather, to the extent that the Church, as the People of God, is Holy, all its baptized members are so, not because of their moral merits, but by virtue of their vocation. However, the Church honors God and thanks him "for the Grace deposited in her saints, who have been lights of the world in their own generation"; In this way, it is possible to honor, within the liturgy, and in accordance with an Ecclesiastical Calendar, the baptized who have been heroes of the faith.

In Anglican churches there are various images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints: icons, altarpieces, sculptures and, above all, stained glass windows; However, in Anglican circles, a clear difference is usually made between using images in worship (a generally accepted practice) and worshiping images of any kind. This criterion distinguishes Anglicanism from both Protestant and Orthodox traditions, as far as the treatment of religious images is concerned. The Anglican Mass or Communion Service has many elements similar to the ordinary Catholic Mass, and like it includes an Epiclesis (that is, an invocation to the Holy Spirit).

Human dignity and equality among all people form a fundamental part of Anglican values. This is shown by the modern redactions of baptismal vows in the various provinces of the Communion, and also by the example of prominent Anglican archbishops, such as the Ugandan Janani Luwum, recognized as a martyr of the century XX, or the South African Desmond Tutu, a tireless fighter for justice in a country dominated by one of the most severe forms of racial discrimination, «Apartheid». In the midst of this discrimination, Archbishop Tutu not only fought for the rights of Africans, but helped to keep the peace by banishing hatred, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Another example of expression of these values of Anglicanism can be seen in that, in most of the Anglican provinces, the Ordination of women to the diaconate, presbyterate and episcopate has been canonically possible since the 1970s, which However, it has not ceased to create wide discussion among the Churches of this Communion. The first woman consecrated to the episcopate was Barbara Clementine Harris, as Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (United States of America), in 1990.

The attitude of Anglicans towards homosexuality is also a thorny issue that has provoked, within them, serious confrontations in all areas, from revulsion to the broadest acceptance. Although the Anglican Churches, throughout their history, have not been characterized by a penchant for heated arguments or statements about sexual morality (in fact, their clergy have been free, everywhere, since the XVI, to marry, remain celibate or live single), two historical events, in the first decade of the century XXI, have sparked the debate on the relationship between homosexuality and Christianity: The authorization for the blessing of same-sex unions by the Diocese of New Westminster, of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the election and consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire, of the Episcopal Church in the United States, since Robinson had officially declared his homosexuality before his diocese.

Doctrine on the Church and instruments of unity

For Anglicans, the minimal expression of the Church in the world is the diocese, that is, the gathering of baptized persons (laity and clergy), who form part of the Mystical Body of Christ in a determined territorial area, under the pastoral guidance of a Bishop.

Each bishop is the main priest of his diocesan church, presides by right over the Holy Eucharist, ordains and consecrates deacons, priests (this always in union with two or more priests who lay hands on him), and to other bishops (likewise, in union with two or more bishops). The Bishop presides ex officio all the canonical or de facto bodies instituted within his diocese, and which are made up of clergy and laity duly elected by the synod or convention, but he cannot place himself above the Constitution and Canons of his Diocese or of his ecclesiastical Province or autonomous Church.

According to Catholic tradition, all Anglican bishops are of equal rank (they are equal to each other), except for functional differences between diocesan bishops and their assistants, suffragan and coadjutor bishops; but they are all considered successors to the apostles and, as such, share, collegially, in the leadership of the Anglican Communion (such a thing as the "Anglican Church", there is no but at the provincial denomination level).

An Anglican bishop always acts, at least by law, with the participation of clergy and laity in all transcendental decisions, through diocesan (annual) or provincial (generally triennial) synods or conventions, with the bishops being the main shepherds.

Henry VIII of England, by Holbein the Young.

While Anglicans acknowledge that the repudiation of the pope's authority initiated by Henry VIII of England led to the Church of England effectively existing as a completely separate entity from Rome, they also acknowledge its continuity with respect to the medieval Pre-Reformation Church. Quite apart from its distinctive customs and liturgy (for example the Rite of Sarum) the organizational framework of the Church of England was already in place by the time of the Hertford Synod (672-673), when all English bishops were able, for the first time, to act as a body, under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The effect of the Act in Restraint of Appeals of 1533 and the Acts of Supremacy of 1534, enacted by Henry VIII was, simply, declaring that the Crown of England was "the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England, called Ecclesia Anglicana ", and that the Bishop of Rome had no "greater jurisdiction in England than any another foreign bishop». The further development of the Thirty-nine Articles and the enactment of the Acts of Uniformity culminated in the Elizabethan Religious Settlement which gave rise to a Church that was both Catholic and Reformed with the English (later British) monarch as its Supreme Governor.

Anglicanism in an ecumenical context

Anglo-Catholics in procession of the Virgin of Walsingham, of the Anglican National Brotherhood of Walsingham.

Anglicanism is present mainly in countries with a British cultural background, such as the former English colonies in America (Canada, the United States and part of the Antilles), as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, some countries in the Southeast of Asia, and Africa.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, fourteen bishops were deposed from their episcopal sees, except for the diocese of Llandaff (later to become part of the English Church). The see of Canterbury was vacant. The question arose how to obtain a consecration that would preserve the Apostolic Succession unbreakable, since the Bishop of Llandaff refused to officiate at the consecration of the New Archbishop of Canterbury. Matthew Parker had been chosen by Elizabeth I to occupy that seat.

In the "Book of Common Prayers" The episcopal consecration formulas were reformed, removing those that allude to the consecration intention (essential to the Sacrament). For this reason, the Bishops are not of apostolic succession for two reasons: those ordained by Parker, because he was not validly so (he was 'appointed' not 'ordained'), and the ' 39;consecrated' according to the Common Prayer, because the rite of his ordination lacked manifest consecratory intention.

Anglican theologians hold that the Anglican Communion preserves apostolic succession, also known as historic episcopate, a fundamental element of catholicity. However, this statement is not without controversy. Indeed, Pope Leo XIII in the Bull Apostolicae Curae of 1896, after a canonical, theological and sacramental study on the ritual forms used in the Anglican Church, decided to ignore the validity of the holy orders conferred with the Anglican rite. Singularly, the Orthodox Church -especially the Patriarchate of Antioch- expressed in 1922 that it considered the Anglican orders as comparable to those of the Church of Rome and the other Eastern Churches.

Between 2007 and 2009, numerous Anglo-Catholic bishops and faithful of the TAC (Traditional Anglican Communion) who are not in communion with Canterbury have asked to enter the Catholic Church, so on November 4, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI published the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum cœtibus, which offers general regulations governing the institution and life of personal ordinariates for those Anglo-Catholic faithful who wish to corporately enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Churches of the Anglican Communion have been pioneers in ecumenism: the fraternal, theological dialogue, and social cooperation between Christians of different Churches and denominations, as well as in interreligious dialogue. The Edinburgh conference that, in 1910, brought together several evangelical denominations, also had the active organizational presence of the Church of England. When the World Council of Churches was founded in 1948, with its affiliates in various parts of the world, Anglicans around the world were the first to respond and engage in this dialogue.

Since the middle of the XX century, Anglicans have been open to projects of Christian unity that have led to their demise as a denomination, for the sake of a broader unity with other Christians. These are the cases of the so-called United Churches, such as: Bangladesh, Pakistan, North India, South India; These Churches have organized themselves due to the need to offer a witness of unity to non-Christians, the communities involved have reached important agreements, simultaneously accepting the practice of baptism for children as well as for adults, and a non-governmental episcopal exercise.

There are United Churches in Canada and Australia, of which the Anglican Churches in those countries have not become a part, but which they widely support and have joint programs with.

The Churches of North and South India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are not Anglican provinces, but are in communion with the Anglican family, and their bishops sit at the Lambeth Conference.

Organizational Divisions

For Anglicans, the minimal expression of the Church in the world is the diocese, that is, the gathering of baptized persons (lay and clergy), who form part of the Mystical Body of Christ in a certain territorial area, under the pastoral guidance of a Bishop.

Within the Anglican Church, three classes of Anglicans can be distinguished, with regard to their approach to biblical, Catholic and liberal doctrines:

• High Church (High Church)High Church): The most conservative circle of the Anglican Church and close mainly to the English aristocracy, which preserves Catholic concepts regarding worship and ecumenism. Their main reflection within the cult is the acceptance of the seven Catholic sacraments, the iconic images of Catholicism (do not venerate them but do not prohibit other members from doing so), and the marked ecumenism with the Catholic Church, hence the famous Anglo-Catholics.
• Lower Church (Evangelical Anglicans or Low Church): The most reformed circle of the Anglican Church, linked to the direct historicality of the reform of Latimer, and the later reformed such as Owen, Chadwick and Ryle, and part of the so-called "puritans" that came to establish the British colony in North America that would become the United States, from there were separated some of them in the so-called "Episcopal Churches". These circles are the most attached to the 39 articles and to the traditional common prayer book, they do not identify themselves so much with Catholics and place greater emphasis on the Protestant heritage of Anglicanism, as part of historical, apostolic, Catholic Christianity (understand by universal, that the church of Christ is in all parts of the earth) and reformed. Many are of Calvinist tendency, and attached to the precepts reformed as the five singles (Sola Scripture, Sola Grace, Sola Faith, Only Christ, Only God), and the famous TULIP, or the five points of Calvinism. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev. Justin Welby, identifies himself as Evangelical.
• Liberals: It is not a separate circle, only for matters of order we can consider it that way. These liberals are those who have made the latest modifications and openings in the Anglican church, especially in England itself and in countries like Canada, USA. Australia, which does not mean that all the Anglican Churches of these countries are liberal. They are in favor of opening up to the female ministry (designation of female priests, pastors and women's archbishops), homosexual ordering, homosexual marriage and a strong tendency to socialist ideas.

Criticism

The main criticisms and dilemmas in the Anglican Church correspond to the problems between the conservative and liberal (minority) camps regarding the access of women and openly homosexual persons to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. While the former (conservatives) reject the ordination of women and homosexuals, arguing theological and moral reasons, the rest (liberals) promote the idea, pointing out the need for equality between men and women. Due to this, a very exalted climate has been created within the Anglican Communion, thus creating a deep rupture within this institution.^{[citation required]}

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  Anglican priest in straight sotana.

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  Anglican priest in coral habit: sotana, overpelliz, muceta ("hood") and academic slave ("tippet").

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  Anglican priest in Eucharistic ornaments: alba, casulla and purple stole.

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  Anglican priest with ornaments (eucharistics) cathedrals: black soda, overpelliz, stole and pluvial layer.