Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, groups, ideas, customs and practices within Anglicanism that emphasise continuity with Catholic tradition. Since the English Reformation there have always been Anglicans who identify themselves closely with traditional Catholic thought and practice. The concept of Anglo-Catholicism as a distinct sub-group or branch of Anglicanism, however, began to come to prominence in the Church of England during the Victorian era under the influence of the Oxford Movement or "Tractarians".
Practices and beliefs
Anglo-Catholic people and churches are usually identified by their liturgical practices and ornaments. Anglo-Catholics use many traditional Catholic practices in their liturgical ceremonies such as vestments, Incense and candles and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Anglo-Catholic liturgical practices (incorrectly called 'Ritualism') were a particular source of controversy in the nineteenth century, especially in England where Parliament was asked to legislate against certain practices. Many Anglo-Catholic "innovations" (or, rather, revivals of dormant practices) have, however, since become accepted by most mainstream Anglicans.What Anglo-Catholics believe is highly debated even among people who identify themselves as such. The Thirty-Nine Articles make distinctions between Anglican and Roman Catholic doctrine; but the Articles have never been regarded with much favour by Anglo-Catholics, and because they were purposely written in such a way as to be open to a wide range of interpretation, some Anglo-Catholics have defended Catholic practices and beliefs as being consistent with the Articles. Anglo-Catholic priests often hear private confessions and anoint the sick, regarding these practices (as do Roman Catholics) as sacraments; whereas more Protestant-minded Anglicans generally think of them as merely optional sacramental rites. (The classic Anglican aphorism regarding confession is "All may, none must, some should").
Anglo-Catholics share with Roman Catholics a belief in the sacramental nature of the priesthood and the sacrificial character of the Mass; many encourage priestly celibacy, and until the 1970s almost all rejected the possibility of women receiving Holy Orders. In recent years, though, many Anglo-Catholics have accepted the Ordination of women and other aspects of "liberalism" such as the use of modern and inclusive language in Bible translations and the liturgy. While the nineteenth-century Anglo-Catholic movement began partly as a reaction to liberalism, secularism and Evangelicalism in the Church of England, the movement's heirs in the modern church are far more diverse and in some respects more inclusive. The movement Affirming Catholicism is an example of a more liberal approach to Anglo-Catholic theology and practice.
Most of the groups making up the Continuing Anglican Movement are regarded, and regard themselves, as Anglo-Catholic.
In the Anglican Communion three terms are frequently - but not always correctly - used to denote the parish's style of worship: High church, Low church, and Broad church or Latitudinarian. "High Church" is generally used to describe moderate to advanced Anglo-Catholicism, "Low Church" is used for Anglicans of a more Evangelical or Protestant theology who emphasise the primacy of scripture, salvation by grace through faith alone and worship based on the official prayer books but with much less ceremonial. The term "Broad church" is sometimes used for those "middle-of-the-road" Anglicans who are somewhere between the "high" and "low" traditions, or those who stress that there is room for diverse traditions in the Anglican Communion.
Some Anglo-Catholics (sometimes called Anglo-Papalists) consider themselves under Papal supremacy even though they are not in full communion with Rome. Many Anglo-Catholics seek for reunion with Roman Catholic Church. In fact a significant portion of Britain's Roman Catholics are former Anglicans or their descendants.