Those Episcopals...

So I'm getting cleaned up in the morning and one of my latest little thoughts is how cool it would be if the Archbishop of Canterbury were to show up for a meeting with the Supreme Pontiff wearing sackcloth or whatever penitents wear. Rather than a procession across St. Peter's Square, the archbishop would crawl on his knees the whole way and upon reaching the steps, he would beg forgiveness or whatever and ask to be accepted back into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church...

While all this is going on, CNN, the BBC, etc. are all watching, as the procession was planned in advance; thus millions will have just witnessed live and in color this act of repentance.

In any case, that has little to do with the Episcopal Church in the USA, since I'm sure they wouldn't care one way or another. This has actually little to do with the modernist folks of the ECUSA (or whatever they're called). This is an indictment of the conservatives.

Let's look at a statement from Jay Ambrose found here:

First, the Episcopal Church is a thing of beauty. Its liturgy as found in the Book of Common Prayer includes some of the most wondrous prose you will encounter in the English language. While this is a creedal faith - meaning you accept certain broad propositions when you are confirmed - there is mystery, subtlety, nuance and room for much disagreement. But the controversy the church is now experiencing seems to me to stem less from theological dispute than from leftist politics that, however well-intentioned, are also superficial and temporally based.

Look at the bolded text. Conservatives in the ECUSA and in general in the wider Anglican Communion keep telling themselves that over and over and then go on to the 'but' statement. That's all they have, 'but'. The entire fate of the soul of their church hangs on 'but'.

The mass exodus that was expected has not come to pass yet. It has only been a few days since their convention concluded. The usual statements have been made (see above) and are circulating around. Now is the time for action. And it is incumbent on upon us to welcome them to something better if they approach us.

In these times we live in, they're probably not going to come to us on their knees out of some medieval play. Instead, we as Catholics will have to reach out. The challenge is ours.