The historic Anglican formularies, developed under the influence of
Thomas Cranmer, include the
Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and
The Books of Homilies, both of which reflect the
Reformed theology of the
Protestant Reformation in England. The
Book of Common Prayer was shaped by Cranmer as well and this became the standard liturgical text of Anglicanism for the coming centuries. Following the passing of the
Act of Supremacy and
Henry VIII's break with the
Roman Catholic Church, the
Church of England continued to adhere to most traditional
Catholic teachings and did not initially make any other major alterations to doctrine. In 1536, the
Ten Articles were published and constitute the first official Anglican articles of faith. The articles for the most part concurred with the teachings of the church in England as they had been prior to the
English Reformation and defended, among other things, the
Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the
sacrament of
Confession, the honouring and
invocation of
Christian saints, and
prayer for the dead. Belief in
purgatory was made non-essential. In 1537, this was followed by the
Institution of the Christian Man, also called ''The Bishops' Book
, a combined effort by numerous Anglican clergy and theologians which—though not strongly Protestant in its inclinations—showed a slight move towards Reformed positions. The Bishops' Book'' was unpopular with conservative sections of the church and quickly grew to be disliked by
Henry VIII as well. In 1539, the
Six Articles moved away from all Reformed ideas and strongly affirmed Catholic positions regarding matters such as
transubstantiation and
Mass for the dead. The ''
King's Book'', the official article of religion written by Henry in 1543, likewise expressed
Catholic sacramental theology and encouraged prayer for the dead. A major shift in the development of
Anglican doctrine came in the reign of Henry's son,
Edward VI, who repealed the
Six Articles and under whose rule the Church of England became more identifiably Protestant. Though the church's practices and approach to the sacraments became strongly influenced by those of
continental reformers, it nevertheless retained
episcopal church structure. The Church of England was then briefly reunited with the Roman Catholic Church under
Mary I, before separating again under
Elizabeth I. The
Elizabethan Religious Settlement was an attempt to end the religious divisions among Christians in England, and is often seen as an important event in Anglican history, ultimately laying the foundations for the concept of "
via media" in Anglicanism. The nature of early Anglicanism was to be of great importance to the Anglo-Catholics of the 19th century, who would argue that their beliefs and practices were common during this period and were inoffensive to the earliest members of the Church of England.
Conformist views In the early history of Anglicanism, various clerics documented the elaborate liturgy celebrated in the
Lutheran Churches to advance the same in the Church of England. In
Two dialogues, or conferences Concerning kneeling in the very act of receiving the sacramental bread and wine, in the Supper of the Lord, Anglican cleric
Thomas Rogers referenced the
Mass of the Lutheran Churches to defend the liturgy of the
Book of Common Prayer, assembled by the reformer
Thomas Cranmer: "For all the Churches in Basel, Saxony, Denmark, and many in Germany, by the orders of their several Churches at the Communion, as well as we in England, do kneel." During the
Stuart Restoration, Anglican cleric
John Durel appealed to the
Lutheran liturgy for the presence of ceremony in the Church of England: In 1715,
Sir William Dawes, 3rd Baronet noted that the "Lutheran religion...[goes] much farther; and are not only more abundant in their Ceremonies, but in the Pomp and Splendor of their Churches where Images and Pictures of Saints and Holy Men are expos'd to publick View on purpose to excite the frequenters of those Sacred Places to the Imitation of their Examples."
Caroline Divines The
Caroline Divines were a group of influential Anglican theologians active in the 17th century who opposed
Calvinism,
Lutheranism, and
Puritanism and stressed the importance of
apostolic succession,
episcopal polity, and the
sacraments. The Caroline Divines also favoured elaborate liturgy (in some cases favouring the liturgy of the
pre-Reformation church) and aesthetics. Their influence saw a revival in the use of images and statues in churches. The leaders of the Anglo-Catholic revival in the 19th century would draw heavily from the works of the Caroline Divines.
Oxford Movement , priest and poet, was a prominent leader in the
Oxford Movement, promoting Anglo-Catholic theology. The modern Anglo-Catholic movement began with the
Oxford Movement in the
Victorian era, sometimes termed "
Tractarianism". In the early 19th century, various factors caused misgivings among English church people, including the decline of church life and the spread of unconventional practices in the Church of England. The British government's action in 1833 of beginning a reduction in the number of
Church of Ireland bishoprics and archbishoprics inspired a sermon from
John Keble in the University Church in Oxford on the subject of "
National Apostasy". This sermon marked the inception of what became known as the Oxford Movement. The principal objective of the Oxford Movement was the defence of the Church of England as a divinely founded institution, of the doctrine of
apostolic succession, and of the
Book of Common Prayer as a "rule of faith". The key idea was that Anglicanism was not a
Protestant denomination but a
branch of the historical
Christian Church, along with the
Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches. It was argued that Anglicanism had preserved the historical
apostolic succession of priests and bishops, and thus the
Catholic sacraments. These ideas were promoted in a series of ninety "
Tracts for the Times", but were rejected both by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The principal leaders of the Oxford Movement were
John Keble,
John Henry Newman, and
Edward Bouverie Pusey. The movement gained influential support, but it was also attacked by some bishops of the church and by the
latitudinarians within the
University of Oxford, who believed in conforming to official Church of England practices but who felt that matters of doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesiastical organisation were of relatively little importance. Within the Oxford Movement, there gradually arose a much smaller group which tended towards submission to the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of adherents of the movement remained in the Church of England and, despite hostility in the press and in government, the movement spread. Its liturgical practices were influential, as were its social achievements (including its slum settlements) and its revival of male and female monasticism within Anglicanism.
Recent developments Since at least the 1970s, Anglo-Catholicism has been dividing into two distinct camps, along a fault line which can perhaps be traced back to Bishop
Charles Gore's work in the 19th century. The Oxford Movement had been inspired in the first place by a rejection of
liberalism and
latitudinarianism in favour of the traditional faith of the "Church Catholic", defined by the teachings of the
Church Fathers and the common doctrines of the historical
Eastern and
Western Christian traditions. Because of the emphasis on upholding traditions, until the 1970s most Anglo-Catholics rejected liberalising development such as the conferral of
holy orders on women. Present-day "
traditionalist" Anglo-Catholics seek to maintain tradition and to keep Anglican doctrine in line with that of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. They often ally themselves with conservative
evangelical Anglicans to defend traditional teachings on
sexual morality and women's roles in the Church. The main organisation in the Church of England that opposes the ordination of women,
Forward in Faith, is largely composed of Anglo-Catholics.
Gore's work, however, bearing the mark of liberal Protestant
higher criticism, paved the way for an alternative form of Anglo-Catholicism influenced by
liberal theology. Thus in recent years, many Anglo-Catholics have accepted the
ordination of women, the use of
inclusive language in Bible translations and the liturgy, and progressive attitudes towards homosexuality and the blessing of
same sex unions. Such Anglicans often refer to themselves as "
Liberal Catholics". This more "progressive" style of Anglo-Catholicism is represented by
Affirming Catholicism and the
Society of Catholic Priests, although, unlike Forward in Faith, this organisation is not as visible with the laity. A third strand of Anglican Catholicism criticises elements of both liberalism and conservatism, drawing instead on the 20th-century Catholic
Nouvelle Théologie, especially
Henri de Lubac. This movement rejected the dominance of
Thomism and
Neo-Scholasticism in Catholic theology and advocated instead for a "return to the sources" of the Christian faith – scripture and the writings of the
Church Fathers –, while remaining open to dialogue with the contemporary world on issues of theology.
John Milbank and others within this strand have been instrumental in the creation of the
ecumenical (though predominantly Anglican and Roman Catholic) movement known as
radical orthodoxy. Since the 1970s, some traditionalist Anglo-Catholics have left official Anglicanism to form "
continuing Anglican churches" whereas others have left Anglicanism altogether for the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches, in the belief that liberal doctrinal changes in the Anglican churches have gone too far.
Personal ordinariates In late 2009, in response to requests from various groups of Anglicans around the world who were dissatisfied with liberalising movements within the Anglican Communion,
Pope Benedict XVI issued the
apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. This document invites groups of traditionalist Anglicans to form what are termed "
personal ordinariates" under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the
Holy See of the
Catholic Church in Rome, while preserving elements of the liturgical, musical, theological and other aspects of their Anglican patrimony. Under these terms, regional groupings of Anglican Catholics may apply for reception by the Holy See under the jurisdiction of an "
ordinary" (i.e. a bishop or priest) appointed by Rome to oversee the community. While being in a country or region which is part of the
Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church, these ordinaries will nonetheless retain aspects of the Anglican patrimony, such as married priests and traditional English choral music and liturgy. Because apostolic constitutions are the highest level of papal legislation and are not time-limited, the invitation is open into the indefinite future. The first personal ordinariate, the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, was established on 15 January 2011 in the United Kingdom. The second Anglican ordinariate, known as the
Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, was established on 1 January 2012 in the United States. The already existing
Anglican Use parishes in the United States, which have existed since the 1980s, formed a portion of the first American personal ordinariate. These parishes were already in communion with Rome and use modified Anglican liturgies approved by the Holy See. They were joined by other groups and parishes of Episcopalians and some other Anglicans. A third Anglican ordinariate, known as the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, was established on 15 June 2012 in Australia. The "
Catechism of the Catholic Church is the authoritative expression of the Catholic faith professed by members" of the personal ordinariates. ==Practices and beliefs==