The Rev. Louis Tarsitano was an inspiration to many within the orthodox Anglican World and his death in January 05 came as a blow. Tarsitano has since come to be seen as a forerunner to many of the persecuited orthodox clergy today, as he was forced out the Episcopal Church over disagreements with the 1979 Book of Commpn Prayer. Here is what he has to say about one of the unique characteristics of the Anglican Way. Remember, councils of the Church, being made up of sinful men, can and have erred.

At the heart of the Anglican Way is the freedom to say “no” to error, just as long as one is prepared to bear the costs of that freedom. The Archbishop of Canterbury is not a pope, and the primates are neither cardinals nor a legislature. While the support of our brethren in other countries is precious, the fact remains that one can continue to be an Anglican without permission for as long as he has the guts for it. One can’t be a Roman catholic without the pope’s permission, nor a canonical Orthodox church without the recognition of the other churches of that household. But it is an Anglican witness that makes an Anglican church, with or without anybody else’s recognition. After all, the first American bishop was not consecrated by the Church of England, but by Scottish bishops not recognized at that time by the Archbishop of Canterbury, etc.

You can read the whole thing over at Albion Land’s Anglican Continuum.

*Comfortable here is the older use, meaning comforting.