Anglican & Catholic Church Reunion May Never Be Possible – Cardinal Arinze

Cardinal Francis Arinze is a prince of the Catholic Church. He has served the church diligently, dutifully and faithfully for many years and in many capacities. He was the former Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese and has served at the Vatican for over 30 years before he retired about six years ago. The last office he held
was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

In this interview with The Sun, he speaks on why he chose to remain in Rome after his retire­ment, his upcoming 50th episcopacy cel­ebration and other matters, concerning the church and the society, including the 2015 general elections and insecurity in Nigeria and the Ebola disease. Excerpts:

The Church of England recently introduced the consecration of women bishops and ordination of gay priests, which they did long time ago. Do you think the Catholic Church can also toe that line?

It is not a question of what I think or my view. No. it is a question of what the Catholic Church retains as gospel. What the church regards as dogma. That is what we cannot change. The Catholic Church people know it. The Catholic Church maintains that the church has no power to ordain women priests or ordain them bishops. If Christ wanted to ordain women, of course, He would have begun with his mother, who was the holiest of all of us – angels and men. He could have ordained some of those women, who were faithful to him. But Christ ordained only men. So, our faith is that priestly ordination and bishops’ ordination can be valid only for a man not for a woman. The Anglicans know that is what the Catholic Church holds. They also know that the Catholic Church will not change. We can change what is church law, like do not eat meat on Friday. The bishop can permit you to eat meat on Friday. But ordination of women as priests: We cannot change that one because we maintain it that it is of divine institution. It is a pity then that they went to that. Of course, gay also. The same thing has to be said; t is not right. It is not Church law. We regard it as divine institution but the Catholic Church cannot renounce efforts at Christian reunion but the step now taken by the Anglicans in ordaining women does not make it easier, it makes it more difficult, one big obstacle added to the obstacles we had before. That is what it means.

Read the interview in full here