Anglican bishop 'goes home' to Catholicism

Bishop Ross Davies

 

 

A FORMER bishop who resigned from the Anglican church under a cloud has become a Catholic. 

 

 

Ross Davies resigned as bishop of the Murray last September, just
before a church tribunal found he had failed to deal appropriately with
sexual misconduct allegations against an archdeacon.

The tribunal
also found he displayed a lack of commitment to the Anglican church and
used threatening and aggressive language towards parishioners.

He
had faced nine charges brought by Adelaide Archbishop Jeffrey Driver and
Bishop of Willochra Garry Weatherill relating to behaviour dating back
to 2003. One of the matters raised at the tribunal was that he had
expressed a desire to become a Catholic.

Mr Davies, 56, who had
denied the allegations against him, was confirmed into the Catholic
church three days after he resigned last September by Adelaide
Archbishop Philip Wilson, president of the Australian Episcopal
Conference, at St Patrick's church.

Mr Davies's four children and son-in-law had converted to Catholicism before him.

"I think I am the only Anglican bishop in Australia to join the Catholic church so far," Mr Davies said yesterday.

"I
had increasingly come to the conclusion that a classic Catholic
understanding of Christianity was becoming impossible in the Anglican
church in Australia."

He said sitting in the pews was "very
relaxing" after working as a priest for 30 years and the unity and
teaching authority of the Catholic church had appealed to him. "It's
like finding my home," he said.

Mr Davies has no desire to become a
Catholic priest and being a Catholic means he will not be joining the
new Anglican Ordinariate to be established by the Pope next year.

SOURCE:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/anglican-bishop-goes-home-to-catholicism/story-e6frg6nf-1226075938041