In a report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) before the canonical erection of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, Cardinal Wuerl stated that the dossiers from prospective ordinariate clergy had been divided into three categories: (1) those who had completed a full program of Anglican seminary formation, who therefore would require a minimal program of formation focused primarily on the differences, (2) those whose formation for ministry was so deficient as to require essentially a full program of Catholic seminary formation, and (3) those who did not fit neatly into either of the first two categories, who would require programs of varying duration tailored to their individual circumstances. Those ordained in the first couple years after the canonical erection of the ordinariate were clearly in the first category. The most recent ordinations clearly are of those in one or both of the latter two categories.But my concern yesterday was that the powers that be clearly regarded an MDiv from Nashotah House as "a full program of Anglican seminary formation, who therefore would require a minimal program of formation focused primarily on the differences[.]" It seems to me that there's a non sequitur in this statement. If a fully fledged Nashotah House alumnus preaches that the seven deadly sins are neither here nor there, sets a priestly example of an actively gay lifestyle, and sets the additional priestly example of necromancy, then there is probably excellent reason for someone to wonder if the program of formation for Nashotah House alumni needs to be more than minimal.
Let's get real, it isn't enough just to abjure the ordination of women or favor the old BCP -- the problems go much farther. In addition, my understanding is that a recent Nashotah House graduate, who in 2012 would presumably have been waved through (at least if he had good contacts in Fort Worth) has in fact been referred for two years of additional Catholic seminary formation.
"Anglo Catholicism" is an amorphous and elusive concept, but historically it has certainly included elements like resistance to authority, same-sex attraction, substitution of private judgment, and attraction to the occult. I think an assumption that someone who calls himself Anglo Catholic has minimal differences with the Roman Catechism is deeply mistaken.
