My own background and return to the Church in my early 30s give me a different perspective. I was raised Presbyterian, and I remember the Rev Clarence LeCrone explaining to us in confirmation class about how the Church had developed all these accretions and corruptions and myths and inessential stuff that Hus, Wycliffe, and Calvin finally pulled away. The culture in which I grew up was thoroughly Protestant. I attended a Catholic wedding mass when my mother brought me along to fulfill some social obligation, but she whisked my sister and me out somewhere around the time the first bells started ringing.
Presbyterianism wasn't enough to keep me from leaving the Church entirely when I got to college, once I discovered the usual distractions. Around that time, my parents became Episcopalians, primarily for social advancement, but I'd go to church with them on Christmas Eve. At that point, I had the untutored reaction of many first-time observers: why don't these people simply become Catholic if they're doing all that kneeling and crossing themselves? The real answer, of course, was and is complicated, and we see echoes of it in Mr Murphy's post.
It took me a dozen years to rethink my life. Since my parents still lived in Los Angeles, I found the easiest way to return was to join them for Episcopal services. Taking a closer look in another confirmation class, I realized that the sacraments, the liturgy, the apostolic succession, tradition, and reason were all important. I still thought the idea of a via media was a good one, though, especially in light of my former Protestantism. The radical Protestants are nuts, but so are the Catholics.
For me, the process of moving to Catholicism became complete as I began to understand more clearly that Anglicanism was not so much a via media as a set of essentially spineless compromises. What was important was the sacraments, the liturgy, the apostolic succession, tradition, and reason. Anglicanism basically said you could take these things or leave them. Anglican music is better, but most of the time, you have to lean over two rows of pews to exchange the peace with your closest neighbor.
Anglicanorum coetibus was a prompt that encouraged me to look more closely at Catholicism, but I took that step without the need to go in with a congregation. I didn't need anything to sweeten the deal. Mr Murphy seems to think the Vatican has backed off on the terms, as far as I can see -- what's the point of a married Ordinary, especially if the married Ordinary is tired out and has no credible successor within his own organization? (Well, there's Andy Bartus. . .)
Sounds like Bishop-Elect Lopes is just too Catholic.
