Pope Benedict XVI Blog

In viewpoint of VirtueOnline: Spiritual health of Anglicans in Britain not good

"VirtueOnline--The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism," is an online portal that is, in its words, the "Anglican Communion's largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service." In the opinion section of the portal, "Viewpoints," David W. Virtue, DD writes commentary on hot-button issues galvanizing the Anglican Communion today.

In the following "Viewpoint" of July 12, 2005, Virtue reflects his concern over the lack of prayer exhibited by Britons in response to last week's suicide bombings in London. Sadly, in his estimation, most Brits no longer ask God for help during a time of crisis but rather, "have adopted a stiff upper lip and 'we'll get on with it' approach" to terrorism:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If you want to gauge the spiritual health of a nation when a tragedy like 911 occurs or what took place in London this week in terror attacks, look at how people respond.

A VirtueOnline columnist and former UPI Religion editor Uwe Siemon-Netto who was in London at the time of the blasts wrote this. "Here's the difference: in Washington, people poured into churches and synagogues. In London, they rushed to the pubs by the hundreds of thousands."

Uwe then went to St. Paul's Knightsbridge and was appalled to find only four other people kneeling in his favorite London church. "I went there that bloody Thursday afternoon, saddened by what I saw." He found four people on their knees...and they weren't even English, they were faithful visitors from Ohio.

There you have it; the Church of England is largely irrelevant in the lives of most British people. They are a nation without God and they don't particularly care what the Archbishop of Canterbury thinks or, for that matter, what most of his bishops think either. The C of E is irrelevant to the lives of tens of millions of Brits. Only a million or so even bother going to church any more.

What happened is that most Brits have adopted a stiff upper lip and "we'll get on with it" approach. God is not relevant.

Both Dr. Rowan Williams and ECUSA Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold weighed in on the London terror attacks. The two world Anglican leaders fell short in declaring the terrorist bombings in London acts of Jihardist Muslim murderers, while quickly endorsing ecumenical relations with Islam and Muslim leaders; with Griswold indulging in a statement of Western self-loathing and guilt.

Let us continue to remember the three faces of Islam. When Islam is the minority in a society, they are humble and deferential; when they are at parity, they are pushy and aggressive; when they are in the majority, they will kill you." I have written a commentary about the statements of both men in today's digest.

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 12:09 AM