In an earlier post, "Alberto Morales elected by ACNA diocese of Quincy...what's going on here? I questioned the matter of Alberto Morales being elected by the ACNA diocese of Quincy and ended by saying, " But friends, there's a story in here somewhere, yes?"
Well it turns out there is. The following was posted as a comment by the Bishop of Puerto Rico, David Alvarez, concerning Alberto Morales:
He came to the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico claiming 'persecution' from the then Roman Catholic Cardinal Mons. Aponte-Martinez. I was new in the episcopate and believed his story and also saw the benefit of having a religious order in the diocese since the Order Of The Transfiguration had been years ago in P.R. He was given a property to develop, employment in one of our schools and full participation in the life of the diocese. I ordained him a deacon and priest. Also, I assigned him to my former parish of St. Hilda's.
Everything seemed well until he showed up at an ordination wearing a mitre. When I told him that he could not, his answer was that it was the custom for abbots. I told him that was with the great medieval orders and also that his order was in formation and did not have the 6 life professed members nor the canonical recognition in the Diocese of Puerto Rico. After that, he started a movement to try to divide the clergy against me. That led to the presentment of his canonical case of disobedience and violation of his ordination vows. He challenged the Standing Committee which recommended deposition. This was done and we have his full file to verify these acts. After that, he moved out of our property and established his own congregation with some former members of St. Hilda's and other congregations. After he saw he did not have the following he hoped for, he left the island for Quincy. I advised Bishop Ackerman who did not pay attention to my information about Alberto. This a dangerous, ego-centric person who is just looking towards the fulfillment of his ambitions and manipulation of others for his benefit. His sexual orientation and acts is another area of concern.I hope the new people he is with now see the reality before it is too late, as in my case."
There seems to be some reason to suppose that ACNA in its effort to draw in all the discontent and troubled, the downtrodden and persecuted will have to deal more and more with those who use the cry of persecution as a means of manipulation.
Bishop elect Morales, who claims the title "The Rt. Rev." holding orders in a backwater offshoot episcopal succession, is apparently an abbot of a small order, has been deposed by a diocese in The Episcopal Church thereby rendering him deposed for the whole of TEC (including Quincy prior to its bishop and some of its members leaving), and touts his "persecution" in the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico and in the Roman Catholic Church. Apparently he fooled Bishop Alvarez, got himself in with Bishop Ackerman who seems to have missed the clues, and now is bishop elect in ACNA.
How will ACNA's own bishops respond? It will be a matter of some interest to see what limits there are to election.
Bishop Ackerman missed a lot of clues. I assume Morales is taking over from Bishop Edward MacBurney who was temporarily in charge of the Church of What's Happening Now...excuse me, the ACNA diocese of Quincy.
ReplyDeleteThis guy sounds like a perfect fit for ACNA.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say (rather dryly having observed the local scene) is that ACNA clearly does not believe in background checks of any sort.
ReplyDeleteI remember Back in the Day reading the somewhat interesting but mostly sad tales of assorted "episcopi vagantes" -- probably Peter Anson's "Bishops at Large" and maybe also Henry Brandreth's "Episcopi Vagantes and the Anglican Church" -- I think originally written in the 1940's but apparently reprinted just a few years ago. One is tempted to sit all the CANA, AMiA, and other such folks down, make them read these books, and then write an essay in response to the following question: "Just what is it you don't get about this stuff?"
ReplyDelete(WV: "amenint." Amen, i'n' 't!)
I'm no fan of ACNA, nor, from what I have read, of this Alberto Morales. But it's not warranted to characterize orders derived from ICAB (the "Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira," Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church) as being "a backwater offshoot episcopal succession."
ReplyDeletePerhaps Morales' U.S. outpost of ICAB is backwater, but in Brazil, ICAB is a decent-sized denomination deriving its holy orders from Dom Carlos Duarte Costa, an admirable figure and former Roman Catholic bishop whose views presaged those of Vatican II and liberation theology. There was nothing "backwater" about Dom Carlos' Roman Catholic orders, nor about the orders of those whom he in turn consecrated, using the Roman Pontifical.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Duarte_Costa and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Catholic_Apostolic_Church
And with 800,000-900,000 claimed members in Brazil alone, ICAB is a little less than half of TEC's size, and larger than the 120,000 members of IAEB, the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil.
Unfortunately, after the death of Dom Carlos, ICAB fell under a conservative successor Patriarch, Luis Castillo Mendez, but in recent years and with the latter's death, a liberalization may be starting in ICAB.
So please, a little respect for episcopal succession derived from Dom Carlos.
I think this is just the tip of the ACNA iceberg.
ReplyDeleteDavid da Silva Cornell, what you say about Dom Carlos and ICAB may well be true, but it does not speak any better for him that Alberto Morales has pulled the wool over his eyes, as he has these bishops of TEC. Dom Carlos also appears to not delve into the "persecuted" pasts of wanna-bes.
ReplyDeleteDavid |Dah • veed|, Dom Carlos has been dead since 1961, so he hasn't had the wool pulled over eyes, other than a burial shroud.
ReplyDeleteAny quality control issue arises with the conservative Patriarch whom I mentioned, the late Dom Luis. ICAB tried several times to project itself into North America. The initial effort, whihc occurred under Dom Carlos and is currently embodied in the Catholic Apostolic Church in North America ("CACINA") (see http://cacina.org/), has turned quite liberal and has long been disowned by its mother Church during the conservative reign of Dom Luis.
Dom Luis had a history of aligning with and re-consecrating conservative Old Catholics and Independent Catholics as ICAB's new representative in the USA. He would then, sometimes soon after, revoke recognition, on account of some personal falling-out or some actual or perceived shortcoming. It appears that this Morales was one such representative du jour for Dom Luis.
Again, I do not write to defend Dom Luis, his quality control over his representatives in the USA, or Morales, but rather to defend Dom Carlos, the validity of orders derived from Dom Carlos (which, for example, under Roman teaching lack the alleged "defects" in Anglican orders and are within living memory documentable from Roman orders), and (notwithstanding its conservative turn under Dom Luis, which may now be abating) the very non-backwater status of ICAB.
Someone just alerted me to the comments you made about Bishop Morales. You should observe your own admonition about respecting your opponents although I am sure Bishop Morales would not consider you or anyone else an opponent. There is nothing of substance in either of the postings by Fr. Harris or most of his commenters. Fr. Harris is on the TEC Executive Council so what would you expect him to say about an ACNA bishop? Bishop Morales is a good Godly man and has helped many in the Bartonville and Peoria communities. It is hardly surprising that the Bishop of Puerto Rico has bad things to say about him for the same reason Mr. Harris does.
ReplyDeleteThe brothers in the Benedictine Abbey have repeatedly elected Bishop Morales as Abbot and recently have been asking him if he could continue as abbot in spite of his new duties as bishop.
As for Bishop Ackerman he has known and worked with Bishop Morales for years and respects him highly. The real question is why are all these TEC people spending so much time trying to attack a good man? "There must be a story there somewhere." For that matter why attack ACNA? TEC has steadily declined in membership and income for 40 years. It is dwindling into insignificance. These comments are just so much hissing and spinning by nephews and nieces of Screwtape. From a priest of the ACNA Diocese of Quincy who is blessed to serve under Bishop Alberot Morales.
This gossip and whining is quite surprising about Bishop Morales. I've met him and talked to him, listened to a few of his sermons, and he is a very spiritual and mature Christian. They deposed him because he wanted to wear something? Yet it is OK to be Gay and start all that controversy? And why on earth do people from TEC care about ACNA? ACNA has nothing to do with TEC other than trying to defend our assets from TEC's lawyers. I cannot believe TEC would try to confiscate all assets from churches that want to separate. This fact alone shows the evil of greedy TEC leadership, possibly possesed by evil spirits, which they probably deny exists anyway. Please mind your own business please and leave ACNA alone. You've made your choices and compromised your beliefs for money and power. You will get what is due to you eventually, as we all do. It will be interesting to see how God deals with TEC.
ReplyDeleteACNA member.
Why, oh why, does TEC care about the ACNA - you have chosen to "stand apart."
ReplyDeleteTo call the ACNA the "Church of What's Happening Now" shows both the contempt and lack of knowledge Episcopalians have for their fellow Anglicans.
I'll pray you can open your hearts and practice what my father said to me: "Assume the other guy is right."
Dave Backs, St. Andrews, Nashville, TN.
PS I just heard Bishop Morales first homily in our church last Sunday. It was moving, inspiring, Christ centered and humbling. You don't become a Bishop in any church by being average.
I will be priveldged to hear Bishop Morales preach this coming July. I am greatly looking forward to it. God bless him.
ReplyDelete