ROMAN CHURCH STEAL ANGLICAN SHEEP!

Behind the ecumenical smiles, handshakes and documents, Rome has never hid its intentions of wanting Anglicans back to the fold...their fold!

Pope Benedict in an earth shaking move this week provided a special ecclesiastical structure for disaffected Anglicans to join the Roman Church. Yup, Anglicans can now hold on to some of their distinctives and be Roman Catholics. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds as the Pope's plan is implemented.

There are many disaffected Anglicans these days due in large part to the failure of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his enablers to discipline the leadership of the American Episcopal Church for having consecrated a practising homosexual! Rowan William's sympathies, judging by his actions, are clearly on the side of the gay lobby. Is it any wonder that many Anglican bishops boycotted last year's Lambeth Conference?

In the midst of this disarray, the Holy Father saw an opportunity to draw Anglicans, especially from the Anglo Catholic mould. And he seized it! Isnt this sheep stealing? None of the Anglican primates, from regions which will be impacted by this latest move from the Roman Church, seem to think so.

Not one...yes, not one Primate from the Anglican Communion has responded to this challenge by exposing Roman doctrinal confusion in the light of Biblical truth. And the reason is simple: the worldwide Anglican Communion in NOT disciplining a province which consecrated a practising homosexual as Bishop, does not have the moral standing to refute Rome's errors and provide a shelter for Roman Catholics struggling with matters of faith and conscience. Hopefully some of our top guns, Arcbishop Akinola, Jensen and Bishop Nazir Ali, will rise to the Roman challenge.

You gotta give Rome an A for audacity. They planned the move and struck when the time was right. Pope Benedict, like an eagle, saw his prey from afar and simply swooped in to gather the prize: Anglican sheep!

So is this sheep stealing?

Bible believing Anglicans of the more reformed variety with roots in the 39 articles will view this Roman intiative as interference and sheep stealing. Some might welcome it as an opportunity to rid the church of Roman fifth columnists. Traditional Anglican sacramentalists in liberal Anglican Provinces however will welcome this as a lifeline and an indirect rebuke to their ecclesiastical leaders.