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Welcome, Catholics, to the Episcopal church!
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Why would an Episcopalian want to become a Catholic? Here are some reasons:
If you can't stand the idea of a woman being ordained, you could convert to Catholicism and you'd never have to deal with a female priest--at least, not until their membership becomes so low that they are forced to ordain women to fill their empty pulpits (thank you so much).
If you think that openly-gay men should not be priests--let alone openly-gay women--you could convert to Catholicism, which has plenty of gay priests who are in the closet. But you'll never know which is which, so you can pretend that all the Catholic priests are straight.
Anything else? Well, there might be, but the Catholic church right now is reaching out specifically to Anglicans who are mysogynistic and homophobic.
On the other hand, would there be any reasons for a Catholic to become an Episcopalian?
Do you want to practice birth control; does it annoy you that the Pope equates human sex with animal sex? (See Vatican II for that, by the way.) Episcopalians make their own decisions on birth control without outside interference.
Do you believe in a woman's right to choose a legal procedure to end a pregnancy for her own personal reasons? The Episcopal church is pro-choice.
Is your spouse non-Catholic? Have you been refused a church marriage? Episcopalians don't observe such discrimination.
Are you gay? The Episcopal church has no regulations limiting gays' participation in church sacraments, even if you are gay, Catholic and a priest. Your priesthood comes with you--no re-ordination here. And look at it this way--as an extra bonus, the homophobic Episcopalians are leaving to become Catholics. That's a nice coincidence as far as I'm concerned.
Has a relative of yours been refused a church funeral because they committed suicide? Call an Episcopal church--they won't reject a tortured soul.
And are you a Catholic priest who has loved? Have you come to the conclusion that marriage does not in itself destroy your vocation to the priesthood?
Now that we have addressed these concerns, let me close with this: you may believe that upon leaving the Roman Catholic communion, you would be leaving the "true church." I know that Catholics have heard that among themselves. But the Episcopal church is fully vested in the Apostolic Succession, their sacraments are valid and they are fully Catholic in every sense of the word. This can be discussed in full with your local Episcopal priest.
So while hate-obsessed Episcopalians are heading to their nearby Catholic churches rather than give up their prejudices, Catholics who wish there was another spiritual refuge for their beliefs should come the other direction: to an Episcopal church. There they will find equality, acceptance, and respect. And just so you know, you won't have to be re-baptized into a communion that denigrates the sacraments of other denominations.
So to make a long story short, if you're an angry Episcopalian, by all means move to a Roman Catholic church. But if you are a Catholic looking for humanitarian Christianity, the doors of the Episcopal church are wide open every Sunday.
I wonder if it will balance out?
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