A senior Anglican priest has accused the Church of England of "moving the goalposts" as a number consider defecting.Following the news earlier this week of five bishops resigning to join the Roman Catholic Church in the wake of protests over changes – among them the ordination of women bishops – two leading local figures have now admitted they are considering their position.
Father Ed Tomlinson, from St Barnabus’ Church in Tunbridge Wells and Father Ivan Aquilina of St John the Baptist in Sevenoaks, spoke about the difficult decision they face and explained the schism between traditionalists and modernisers within the church.
Father Tomlinson said: "Certainly it is fair to say that it would be very difficult for anyone with genuine Catholic convictions to stay, although some may try and do that for the time being.
"Catholicism in the Church of England is dead beyond a generation. People could stay and enjoy the last few years or could make a radical decision in the short term that would guarantee a better future.
"It is easy intellectually, but emotionally it is much harder. The important thing to say is that no decision has been made yet."
Pope Benedict XVI has created a new body called the English Ordinariate for Church of England traditionalists who want to switch allegiance to Rome while retaining some of their Anglican customs.
The decision of the five bishops is being seen as the start of an Anglican exodus to Rome with reports suggesting that 500 individuals will join the Ordinariate in the first wave.
A meeting is being held at the Sevenoaks church next Saturday, November 20, to discuss the new body, the options for worshippers and clergymen and the principals behind the move.
Father Tomlinson said: "In recent years the Anglican church has decided to go it alone and do some things that, whilst they make sense socially, do not have the backing of traditional scripture.
"This has increasingly isolated the Anglican church which is troubling for everybody working to bring them together.
"We are at a stage where the Church of England is wonderful, but it is not catholic, it is congregational or different in every church. And through its decisions it is protestant as in it is its own authority to make decisions. So, we are in a difficult place."
Father Aquilina was more critical of the Church of England and its legislative body the General Synod.
"The Church of England did not offer us what we need to survive they have cut the oxygen off. They made promises and they have moved the goal posts from when I was made a priest," he said.
But he said the situation was complicated and he did not have enough information from either side on whether he would convert to Roman Catholicism.
"The women issue is just a symptom," he said. "We are not annoyed because of women it is one of many things.
"What we are concerned about is Jesus and the Bible. The Church of England wants to re-write what Jesus and the Bible said and we are not comfortable about that."
He added: "People are talking about priests as if it was a job, but it is something completely different, something symbolic.
"Jesus chose only men. If he wanted to choose women he could have done it. He did many things with women that no one would have done before. He made a woman the witness of the resurrection and at that time a woman could not be a witness.
"He went against that convention at the time and chose Mary Magdalene, but he did not choose women apostles. He was free to do whatever he wanted to and this he did not do."
Father Tomlinson added: "We are carefully considering the options. I think this offer we have is tempting, a long partner to see the church and Rome brought together.
"We can go and feel part of the Roman Catholic Church while retaining Anglican customs and traditions.
"If we make bridges between the two churches I feel that wonderful things could happen."
The meeting, What is the Ordinariate?, is taking place at the Sevenoaks church next Saturday at 3.30pm.
SIC: KN/UK
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