Father David Moyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd in suburban Philadelphia was ecstatic last week when he heard Pope Benedict’s invitation to disaffected Anglican priests, parishes and individuals to join the Roman Catholic Church. “I was overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving,” said Fr. Moyer in an interview. “I’m still in a state of shock.”

His parish could easily become the first Anglican church in North America to respond to Pope Benedict’s offer. But if it happens, he said, it will not happen quickly.

“It has excited the majority of people here and now they see a secure future,” he said. “But there are others here who are saying, ‘Oh my, I don’t want to be a Roman Catholic.’ Some find the idea frightening and repulsive.”

Fr. Moyer, an Anglican priest for more than 30 years, has had his fair share of skirmishes with his bishops over such issues as the ordination of women and same-sex blessings. Things got so heated in 2002 that he was defrocked when he refused to allow liberal bishops to make an official visit to his parish. He said the Archbishop of Canterbury reinstated him but the diocese still considers him deposed.

“The Anglican world is living with diametrically opposed theologies and world views in the same tent. The Anglican experiment is over. I don’t believe there is an Anglican Communion. There can’t be a communion unless you have common faith and practice.”

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