Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue
Encyclopedia
Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue is the historical communication between the Roman Catholic Church
and the Anglican Communion
and their involvement in the ecumenical movement since the time of the Second Vatican Council
.
which began with the rejection of papal juridiction over the Church in England by the declaration of royal supremacy by King Henry VIII
, followed in time by the confiscation of church properties, the dissolution of the monasteries, the execution of priests, forced attendance at Anglican worship, forced payment of tithes to the state church and the illegalization of Roman Catholicism. There was a brief restoration of communion with Rome during the reign of Queen Mary I
. Her death marked the end of Roman Catholic attempts to reconcile by law the English Church to Rome.
's excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570 and authorisation of rebellion against her contributed to official suspicion of the allegiances of English Catholics. This, combined with a desire to assert the claims of the established church, led initially to renewed persecution by the state, and to the continued enforcement of severe legal restrictions. Most of these restrictions were only relieved three centuries later through several legislative reforms in the 19th century, cumulatively known as Catholic Emancipation
. The last restriction on Roman Catholics excluding them and those who marry them from the Throne of the United Kingdom (and by extension the other Commonwealth Realms) remains in effect.
argued for the inclusion of traditional aspects of liturgy from medieval religious practice, as they believed that Anglican practice had become too plain. In the ninetieth and final Tract, Newman argued that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, as defined by the Council of Trent
, were compatible with the Thirty-Nine Articles
of the sixteenth-century Church of England.
in the United Kingdom relieved some of the tension, the Roman Catholic response to the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral
was articulated in Apostolicae Curae
, an 1896 papal bull
which declared Anglican holy orders
"absolutely null and utterly void". The bull rejected Anglo-Catholic claims about the branch theory
and apostolic succession
. The official reply of the archbishops of the Church of England was Saepius Officio. The judgment remains in effect to the present, having been reaffirmed in 1998 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI
, when he asserted Apostolicae Curae as an example of the infallible teaching office claimed by the Roman Catholic Church.
' eventually collapsed in 1925. Continued efforts resulted in the spread of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
in both churches (and others) and the visit of George Bell
, the Anglican Bishop of Chichester
, to Cardinal Montini of Milan, later Pope Paul VI.
, whose foundation of the "Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity
" encouraged the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher
, to make a historic, though not entirely official, visit to the Vatican in 1960.
Subsequently the Bishop of Ripon
, John Moorman
, led a delegation of Anglican observers to the Second Vatican Council
. In 1966, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey
, made an official visit to Pope Paul VI
and, in the following year, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was established. Building on Pope Paul VI's description of the Anglican Church as "our beloved Sister Church", there has been considerable productivity in these discussions, but progress was not without difficulty.
Phase Two lasted between 1983 and 2004 and a third phase is expected. The most recent agreed statement dealt with Marian theology and was published in 2004. In 2000, following a successful meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops in Mississauga in Canada, a new commission, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, was established to promote practical co-operation between Anglicans and Roman Catholics and the reception of the fruits of the theological dialogue.
of Anglicans and that of Roman Catholics. Because Anglicanism does not have an official view about these doctrines it can be difficult to say with precision what Anglicans believe. The description here attempts to sketch out the areas where Anglicans are in agreement that there is no official binding doctrine. To encourage ecumenical cooperation despite differences over other matters, the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches issued a joint statement, "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" (also known as the Seattle Statement) on the role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity.
is a joint group between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches to discuss areas of common concern. The first meeting took place from 20–24 November 2001.
and the ordination of those in same-sex sexual relationships as priests and, in one case, a bishop (Gene Robinson
). In addition, progress has not been helped by the Second Vatican Council
declaring that the Anglican Church is not a church at all but a mere "ecclesial community" saying that "Among those in which some Catholic traditions and institutions continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place".
In 2000, this view was authoritatively reiterated in the document Dominus Jesus issued by Cardinal Ratzinger with the approval of John Paul II. However in conversation with the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
, warned that if the Church of England
was to ordain women as bishops, as the Episcopal Church has done, then it could destroy any chance of reuniting the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. Although ARCIC had just completed the major document on Marian theology in 2003, Pope John Paul II officially called off all future talks between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion upon the consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop.
established a Pastoral Provision
for Anglican congregations which as a whole wished to become Roman Catholic. There has been only a small number of Anglican Use
parishes, all of which are in the United States. These are Roman Catholic parishes which are allowed to retain some features of the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Additionally, one of the Continuing Anglican Churches, the Traditional Anglican Communion
, is currently attempting to enter into communion with Rome while retaining some of its liturgical traditions.
An eminent Dominican writer has concluded that Anglicanism is three churches within one and that, as it stands, could not reunite with Rome but that out of it could arise an Anglican Particular Church
community accepting Roman authority. Indeed, this has already to a limited extent occurred with the creation of the Anglican Use
, a group in full Union with Rome that uses a Roman Catholic version of the Book of Common Prayer, but is not yet an independent body like a Particular Church.
On 4 November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI
, in Anglicanorum coetibus, created a new canonical
structure called a personal ordinariate
by which groups of Anglican may be corporately brought into communion
with the Roman Catholic Church while retaining some aspects of their liturgical and spiritual patrimony
which are not in contradiction to Roman Catholic doctrine
.
, Roman Catholics should not receive the Anglican eucharist. The law permits Roman Catholic priests to administer to an Anglican the sacraments of the Eucharist
, Penance
and the Anointing of the Sick
only in danger of death or some other grave and pressing need and provided that the Anglican cannot approach an Anglican priest, spontaneously asks for the sacrament, demonstrates the faith of the Roman Catholic Church in respect of the sacrament and is properly disposed.
Cardinal Ratzinger commented on the celebrations of the Eucharist in other churches or ecclesial communities whose orders his church did not recognise, saying that 'in such celebrations there was indeed a true feeding on Christ
, and therefore there was a real and transforming grace
'. This was no new teaching as before Vatican II it was generally taught that, although considered invalid, Anglican orders were not meaningless and could carry God's grace.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
and their involvement in the ecumenical movement since the time of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
.
English Reformation
Conflict between the two communions began in the period known as the English ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
which began with the rejection of papal juridiction over the Church in England by the declaration of royal supremacy by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, followed in time by the confiscation of church properties, the dissolution of the monasteries, the execution of priests, forced attendance at Anglican worship, forced payment of tithes to the state church and the illegalization of Roman Catholicism. There was a brief restoration of communion with Rome during the reign of Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. Her death marked the end of Roman Catholic attempts to reconcile by law the English Church to Rome.
Elizabethan regime
Subsequently, Pope Pius VPope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
's excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570 and authorisation of rebellion against her contributed to official suspicion of the allegiances of English Catholics. This, combined with a desire to assert the claims of the established church, led initially to renewed persecution by the state, and to the continued enforcement of severe legal restrictions. Most of these restrictions were only relieved three centuries later through several legislative reforms in the 19th century, cumulatively known as Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
. The last restriction on Roman Catholics excluding them and those who marry them from the Throne of the United Kingdom (and by extension the other Commonwealth Realms) remains in effect.
Oxford Movement
Members of the Oxford MovementOxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
argued for the inclusion of traditional aspects of liturgy from medieval religious practice, as they believed that Anglican practice had become too plain. In the ninetieth and final Tract, Newman argued that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, as defined by the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
, were compatible with the Thirty-Nine Articles
Thirty-Nine Articles
The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are the historically defining statements of doctrines of the Anglican church with respect to the controversies of the English Reformation. First established in 1563, the articles served to define the doctrine of the nascent Church of England as it related to...
of the sixteenth-century Church of England.
Apostolicae Curae
Although the Catholic EmancipationCatholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
in the United Kingdom relieved some of the tension, the Roman Catholic response to the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral
Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral
The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, frequently referred to as the Lambeth Quadrilateral or the Lambeth-Chicago Quadrilateral, is a four-point articulation of Anglican identity, often cited as encapsulating the fundamentals of the Communion's doctrine and as a reference-point for ecumenical...
was articulated in Apostolicae Curae
Apostolicae Curae
Apostolicae Curae is the title of a papal bull, issued in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII, declaring all Anglican ordinations to be "absolutely null and utterly void"...
, an 1896 papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
which declared Anglican holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
"absolutely null and utterly void". The bull rejected Anglo-Catholic claims about the branch theory
Branch theory
The Branch Theory is a theological concept within Anglicanism, holding that the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion are the three principal branches of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.-Theory:...
and apostolic succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
. The official reply of the archbishops of the Church of England was Saepius Officio. The judgment remains in effect to the present, having been reaffirmed in 1998 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, when he asserted Apostolicae Curae as an example of the infallible teaching office claimed by the Roman Catholic Church.
Malines Conversations
Some attempts at dialogue began in 1915, when Pope Benedict XV approved a British Legation to the Vatican, led by an Anglican with a Roman Catholic deputy. However, discussion of potential reunion in the 'Malines ConversationsMalines Conversations
The Malines Conversations were a series of informal discussions exploring possibilities of corporate reunion between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.-History:...
' eventually collapsed in 1925. Continued efforts resulted in the spread of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January. It is actually an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days.-Beginnings:...
in both churches (and others) and the visit of George Bell
George Bell (bishop)
George Kennedy Allen Bell was an Anglican theologian, Dean of Canterbury, Bishop of Chichester, member of the House of Lords and a pioneer of the Ecumenical Movement.-Early career:...
, the Anglican Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, to Cardinal Montini of Milan, later Pope Paul VI.
Second Vatican Council
Real rapprochement was not achieved until the warming of Roman Catholic attitudes to ecumenism under the leadership of Pope John XXIIIPope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, whose foundation of the "Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
" encouraged the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, GCVO, PC was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1945 to 1961.-Background:...
, to make a historic, though not entirely official, visit to the Vatican in 1960.
Subsequently the Bishop of Ripon
Bishop of Ripon and Leeds
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds in the Province of York.Though one ancient Bishop of Ripon is known, the modern diocese dates from 1836...
, John Moorman
John Moorman
John Richard Humpidge Moorman, was an English divine, ecumenist, and writer, Bishop of Ripon from 1959 to 1975.-Background:...
, led a delegation of Anglican observers to the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. In 1966, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury PC was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and was in office from June 1961 to 1974.-Career:...
, made an official visit to Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
and, in the following year, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was established. Building on Pope Paul VI's description of the Anglican Church as "our beloved Sister Church", there has been considerable productivity in these discussions, but progress was not without difficulty.
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission
Greater rapprochement was achieved in 1966, with the visit of Archbishop Michael Ramsey to Pope Paul VI. The following year, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission was established. Its first project focused on the authority of scripture. The commission has since produced nine agreed statements. Phase One of ARCIC ended in 1981 with the publication of a final report, Elucidations on Authority in the Church.Phase Two lasted between 1983 and 2004 and a third phase is expected. The most recent agreed statement dealt with Marian theology and was published in 2004. In 2000, following a successful meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops in Mississauga in Canada, a new commission, the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, was established to promote practical co-operation between Anglicans and Roman Catholics and the reception of the fruits of the theological dialogue.
Anglican mariology
Much has been made of the difference between the mariologyAnglican Marian theology
Anglican Marian theology is the summation of the doctrines and beliefs of Anglicanism concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary. As Anglicans believe that Jesus was both human and God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, within the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglican churches, Mary is...
of Anglicans and that of Roman Catholics. Because Anglicanism does not have an official view about these doctrines it can be difficult to say with precision what Anglicans believe. The description here attempts to sketch out the areas where Anglicans are in agreement that there is no official binding doctrine. To encourage ecumenical cooperation despite differences over other matters, the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches issued a joint statement, "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" (also known as the Seattle Statement) on the role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity.
International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission
The International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and MissionInternational Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission
The International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission is a joint group between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches to discuss areas of common concern.The first meeting took place from 20 November-24 November 2001....
is a joint group between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches to discuss areas of common concern. The first meeting took place from 20–24 November 2001.
Dialogue strained
Dialogue is strained by the developments in some provinces of the Anglican Communion, primarily concerning the ordination of womenOrdination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
and the ordination of those in same-sex sexual relationships as priests and, in one case, a bishop (Gene Robinson
Gene Robinson
Vicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
). In addition, progress has not been helped by the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
declaring that the Anglican Church is not a church at all but a mere "ecclesial community" saying that "Among those in which some Catholic traditions and institutions continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place".
In 2000, this view was authoritatively reiterated in the document Dominus Jesus issued by Cardinal Ratzinger with the approval of John Paul II. However in conversation with the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962–1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
, warned that if the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
was to ordain women as bishops, as the Episcopal Church has done, then it could destroy any chance of reuniting the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. Although ARCIC had just completed the major document on Marian theology in 2003, Pope John Paul II officially called off all future talks between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion upon the consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop.
Anglican churches outside the Anglican Communion
Some progress has been made with respect to Anglican churches outside the Anglican Communion. Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
established a Pastoral Provision
Pastoral Provision
The "pastoral provision" or "statute" for United States Episcopalians entering the Catholic Church authorizes some departures for them from the normal practice of the Latin Rite...
for Anglican congregations which as a whole wished to become Roman Catholic. There has been only a small number of Anglican Use
Anglican Use
The term Anglican Use has two meanings. First, it refers to parish churches founded by former Episcopalians, members of the United States' branch of the Anglican Communion, who have joined the Catholic Church...
parishes, all of which are in the United States. These are Roman Catholic parishes which are allowed to retain some features of the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Additionally, one of the Continuing Anglican Churches, the Traditional Anglican Communion
Traditional Anglican Communion
The Traditional Anglican Communion is an international communion of churches in the continuing Anglican movement independent of the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The TAC upholds the theological doctrines of the Affirmation of St. Louis and an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of...
, is currently attempting to enter into communion with Rome while retaining some of its liturgical traditions.
An eminent Dominican writer has concluded that Anglicanism is three churches within one and that, as it stands, could not reunite with Rome but that out of it could arise an Anglican Particular Church
Particular Church
In Catholic canon law, a Particular Church is an ecclesial community headed by a bishop or someone recognised as the equivalent of a bishop.There are two kinds of particular Churches:# Local particular Churches ...
community accepting Roman authority. Indeed, this has already to a limited extent occurred with the creation of the Anglican Use
Anglican Use
The term Anglican Use has two meanings. First, it refers to parish churches founded by former Episcopalians, members of the United States' branch of the Anglican Communion, who have joined the Catholic Church...
, a group in full Union with Rome that uses a Roman Catholic version of the Book of Common Prayer, but is not yet an independent body like a Particular Church.
On 4 November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, in Anglicanorum coetibus, created a new canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
structure called a personal ordinariate
Personal Ordinariate
A personal ordinariate is a canonical structure within the Catholic Church enabling former Anglicans to maintain some degree of corporate identity and autonomy with regard to the bishops of the geographical dioceses of the Catholic Church and to preserve elements of their distinctive Anglican...
by which groups of Anglican may be corporately brought into communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the Roman Catholic Church while retaining some aspects of their liturgical and spiritual patrimony
Patrimony
Patrimony may refer to:* Property or other legal entitlements inherited from , one's father, especially if it has been handed down through generations in the same family, birthright...
which are not in contradiction to Roman Catholic doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
.
Liturgical rules
According to Roman Catholic canon lawCanon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
, Roman Catholics should not receive the Anglican eucharist. The law permits Roman Catholic priests to administer to an Anglican the sacraments of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, Penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
and the Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick, known also by other names, is distinguished from other forms of religious anointing or "unction" in that it is intended, as its name indicates, for the benefit of a sick person...
only in danger of death or some other grave and pressing need and provided that the Anglican cannot approach an Anglican priest, spontaneously asks for the sacrament, demonstrates the faith of the Roman Catholic Church in respect of the sacrament and is properly disposed.
Cardinal Ratzinger commented on the celebrations of the Eucharist in other churches or ecclesial communities whose orders his church did not recognise, saying that 'in such celebrations there was indeed a true feeding on Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, and therefore there was a real and transforming grace
Grace (Christianity)
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
'. This was no new teaching as before Vatican II it was generally taught that, although considered invalid, Anglican orders were not meaningless and could carry God's grace.