Abp of York: Anglicans going to Rome are not "proper Catholics"

I used to have so much more respect for the Anglican Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Check this out from the BBC (red comments are mine):

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, says those Anglicans who respond to Pope Benedict’s invitation to join the Catholic Church under the provisions of the new Apostolic Constitution, would not be “proper Catholics”. You can listen to the interview in full on this week’s Sunday Sequence (Sunday, from 8.30am).

Here’s part of the exchange I had with Dr Sentamu on this week’s Sunday Sequence:

Archbishop Sentamu: “If people genuinely realise that they want to be Roman Catholic, they should convert properly, and go through catechesis and be made proper Catholics. This kind of creation [the Apostolic Constitution] — well, all I can say is, we wish them every blessing and may the Lord encourage them. But as far as I am concerned, if I was really [but you aren’t], genuinely wanting to convert [which means that you don’t want to], I wouldn’t go into an Ordinariate. I would actually go into catechesis and become a truly converted Roman Catholic and be accepted. [Abp Sentamu fails to understand what an Ordinariate is and he fails to understand the Catholic doctrine of communio.]

William Crawley: “So those Anglicans who take advantage of the Apostolic Constitution, you’re saying, would not be ‘proper Catholics’?”

Archbishop Sentamu: “Well, I mean, I’d be very surprised –“ [How does an Anglican know what ‘proper Catholics’ are – he’s not Catholic. It’s rather amusing to have an Anglican prelate pontificate on who is and is not a ‘proper Catholic’.]

William Crawley: “What would they be if they are not ‘proper Catholics’?”

Archbishop Sentamu: “They would be what they are: an Ordinariate of the Vatican.” [Yes, which means that they would be proper and true Catholics!!!]

William Crawley: “Anglican Émigrés?”

Archbishop Sentamu: “(Laughter) Well, if I was a Roman Catholic bishop [which you aren’t] and I had this group within my diocese being looked after by an Ordinariate whose reference was back to the Vatican, I’d have to ask a number of questions.” [Of course you would, because you aren’t Catholic. Similarly, if a true Catholic bishop were an Anglican, we would have a number of questions as to why the state rules his diocese and would be perplexed by your women priests…]

As you can tell, I’m a little miffed by an Anglican prelate speaking condescendingly toward the Holy Father’s greatest act of ecumenical generosity. It’s so smug. Read the whole thing.