The Great Invitation

I am still torn on this one.

Since the issuance of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus by the Vatican in November 2009, I have been wondering and, dare I say it, waiting. Waiting for the Lutheran version of this "Great Invitation." You have to admit, this is a great end run by the Holy See. Recognizing that the Roman Catholic Church is not getting any larger, that there is great turmoil in the Anglican fellowship (and some big cash in the Episcopal Church in the United States), and that there is phenomenal growth of a conservative branch of the Anglican fellowship in Africa, this is a win-win for all parties involved. Right?

I admire the love and forgiveness that the Roman Catholic church shows in this "Great Invitation." They love the possibility of gaining churches, priests and members by setting up an Anglican Rite subsidiary, allowing a large part of the Anglican theology and practice to survive. They show great forgiveness with regards to the shunning and ostracizing of believers in England and, lest we forget, the outright slaughter of Roman priests in England. All this for switching one's allegiance from the Queen to the Pope. Again, not a bad deal. Also, I wonder, will there be a blind eye turned to the Anglican idea regarding divorce?

Luther gets excommunicated. War is declared on the kingdoms that embraced the Reformation. The Counter-Reformation goes out of its way to burn books and believers alike. Yet, nothing. Not even an, "Oops. That was our bad. Sorry. What can we do to make this all better?" Yes, yes, I know, it's not as simple as that. I know that the Lutheran Church did a wonderful job of ostracizing Roman Catholics. (It was fun back in the 1950's when the local Lutheran high school played the local Roman Catholic high school in basketball. It was like the Reformation was being fought all over again.) Never, do I recall, someone from the Lutheran camp gathering an army with the sole purpose of killing Roman Catholics because they weren't Lutheran. Nor, have I ever read about the Lutheran Church being formed for the purpose of making a divorce an easier thing to acquire. Yet the Anglican Church gets welcomed back to the fold letting bygones be bygones. Reminds me of a line from the Monty Python's Holy Grail movie. "Let's not argue about who killed who."

No, I am not about to "jump ship" and find the nearest Roman Catholic Anglican Rite church to join. I am just wondering where the "Great Invitation" from the Pope is? I want my "Great Invitation." Lutheranism's history with Rome isn't that bad, is it? After all, the late Pope John Paul II the Great did call Lutherans "separated brethren." Doesn't that count for something? I think Lutheranism has met a majority of the terms to be offered an invitation to join. Let's see, dissatisfaction with women's ordination, check. Conservative theologians upset and being marginalized, check. Liturgical worship frowned upon, check. Inept leadership that is doing more to divide than to "walk together", check. What are the other qualifications that have not been met? What more needs to be done? When will there be a Roman Catholic Lutheran Rite established? When will there be issued a "Great Invitation" to the Lutheran Church?

I would hope never. I would hope that things would not get to the point that the remaining confessional, liturgical type Lutherans would seek protection from the Pope. I guess this is one of those "only time will tell" things.