THE
P RTAL
March 2013
Page 20
F a t h e r P e t e r ’s P a ge
Habemus Papam
In a few day’s time (March 17?), the whole world will eagerly wait for the
Senior Cardinal Deacon to appear on the central balcony of St Peter’s to
announce “Habemus Papam: We have a (new) Pope.”
successor of St Peter essential
Church of the Roman obedience, and then we shall be
actually in communion with the Pope once more”.
It was only a few months after I became an Anglican,
at the tender age of 17½, that I became convinced
that the successor of St Peter was an essential and vital the principle of compromise
element of the gospel and necessary for the ‘fullness’
But they cannot say: Habemus Papam: We have a
of the Church.
Pope. Habuimus Papam they say, We had a Pope in
the Middle Ages. Habuissemus Papam, We would
‘Anglican Cobwebs’
have had a Pope at the time of the Reformation.
I belonged to that group of
Christians who were disparagingly
called Anglican Papalists. Often
accused of believing in a chimera,
one prayed that the ARCIC
conversations could fulfil the hope
of visible unity; but gradually there
was the realisation that the collective
body was tainted with Protestantism.
This contradiction of hope and
reality – as far as the Papacy is
concerned - is cleverly developed
by Mgr Ronald Knox in a series of
sermons, called ‘Anglican Cobwebs’.
I state his argument in the present.
a slight misunderstanding
“Believe in the Pope?”
Many
Anglicans will reply: “Of course, we believe in the Pope!
When England was Catholic for most of its life up to
the Middle Ages, our forefathers owned the allegiance
of Rome; and were right to do so.” “When Henry VIII
began his campaign against the Monasteries, the men
who died for the privileges of the Holy See were true
martyrs; and if we had been alive then we would have
taken their part, and have suffered, if need were, for
the privileges of the Papacy.”
“Just at present, though, owing to a slight
misunderstanding about changes we have unilaterally
made (and intend to continue to make) to Apostolic
Order, we are not on quite such close terms of intimacy
with the Vatican as we should like to be; but we would
be friends with the Pope – and more – if only the Pope
would let us Unite on our own terms. One day, there is
no doubt about that, we shall achieve reunion with the
Haberemus Papam, We would have a Pope now,
if only the Pope were to take us on our own terms.
Habebimus Papam, We shall have a Pope one day,
when the impossible happens. But Habemus Papam
– well, no, not exactly! They know that the Papacy
is necessary; they see their Church and Communion
torn by rivalries and dissensions: and they know
these things are because they replace the principle of
authority by the principle of compromise . .
HabeMUS Papam – WE have a Pope
So sadly, they cannot say: HabeMUS Papam – WE
have a Pope. And so they cannot share, as 1.2 billion
others will that day, the words the Cardinal Deacon
says just before: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnam: I
announce to you A GREAT JOY.
Father Peter Geldard