Anglican Bishop Joins Catholic Church

Tista ‘taqra bil-
Malta.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali decided to join the Catholic Church after serving as Bishop of Rochester for the Church of England (CofE), also known as the Anglican Church, from 1994 to 2009. In an exclusive letter to the Daily Mail, he explained his decision to leave the Anglican Church.

Nazir-Ali, the third CofE bishop to switch to the Catholic Church this year, defended his decision and spoke to the Daily Mail about his disappointment with the Church of England (CofE) for not having upheld the core values ​​regarding the faith of members of the Anglican Church, the value of tolerance for one another, and the importance of marriage and family institutions.

The former CofE bishop also said divisions within the Church of England left him feeling at odds with the Church as an institution.

Why Nazir-Ali’s decision “was a bittersweet moment”

The former CofE bishop, who will be ordained a Catholic priest this month, described his decision as a bittersweet moment.

“Bitter, because I am deeply saddened that the Church of England is not the Church I have joined. There are many individual parishes, priests and believers who remain attached to the faith and biblical values, however, as an institution, it seems to go astray ”.

Nazir-Ali described the moment as sweet, due to his enthusiasm for the opportunities that membership in the Ordinariate will offer to defend human rights and help millions of suffering Christians and others around the world. .

The former CofE bishop added that he is constantly involved in situations where people have lost their jobs because of their Christian beliefs and called on the Church to do more to defend Christians around the world.

“When I was ordained an Anglican priest in 1976, it was a moment of joy and hope: I looked forward to a life of service to God in the Anglican Church which had Christ and the Bible at its center” .

Nazir-Ali explained that he could never have imagined feeling compelled to leave the Anglican Church and that he struggled with this decision for several years.

“I move from one Church to another, fulfilling my spiritual needs. It is not a conversion from one religion to another, ”added Nazir-Ali.