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The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, groups, ideas, customs and practices within Anglicanism that emphasise continuity with Catholic tradition. Since the Reformation there have always been Anglicans who identify closely with Catholic thought and practice. However, the concept of Anglo-Catholicism as a distinct sub-group appeared in the Church of England during the Victorian era, under the influence of the Oxford Movement or ' Tractarians'.Anglo-Catholic people and churches are often identified as such by their outward behaviour and appearance. Anglo-Catholics have adopted many Catholic practices such as ritualism and the use of vestments, incense and candles in the liturgy, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some Anglo-Catholics (and some Anglicans in general) also use Orthodox icons and prayers. Ritualism in particular was a source of controversy in the nineteenth century, particularly in England, where Parliament was called on to legislate against certain ritualist practices. However, many Anglo-Catholic 'innovations' (or, rather, revivals of dormant practices) have since become accepted by many mainstream Anglicans.
What Anglo-Catholics believe is highly debated even among people who identify
as such. While the Thirty-Nine Articles may be said to draw some boundaries between Anglican and Catholic doctrine, they are open to creative interpretation. For example, some Anglo-Catholic priests hear personal confessions and anoint the sick, practices which are recognised by Catholics as sacramentA sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates or symbolizes divine grace. Sacraments are usually administered by the clergy to a recipient or recipients, and are generally understood to involve visible and invisible components. The invisible component (mas, but are only optional Rites in the Anglican Church. They are in the Book of Common PrayerThe Book of Common Prayer is the prayer book of the Church of England and also the name for similar books used in other churches in the Anglican Communion. It has been through many revisions over the last few centuries. It contains the order to be followe but are not given as much authority as BaptismIn certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism, baptism is a water purification ritual. The word baptize derives from the Greek word (the infinitive; also listed as the 1st person singular present activ and the EucharistThe Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. The term "Eucharist" is used mainly in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran traditions, and is based upon the Greek word &epsilo.
Many Anglo-Catholics share Catholic beliefs on the nature of the priesthood,
encouraging priestly celibacyA vow of clerical celibacy is the promise of a Christian priest or bishop to remain unmarried, or, in some churches, of a deacon or priest not to remarry if his wife dies. In conjunction with church rules prohibiting sex outside of marriage, this implies and rejecting the possibility of women taking Holy OrdersThis article is about the sacrament. Holy Orders was also the title of a 1908 book by Marie Corelli. Holy Orders in the modern Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Anglican churches, includes three degrees: bishops, priests,. On the other hand, many Anglo-Catholics do accept 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 may have begun as a reaction to both liberal and EvangelicalEvangelicalism in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus Christ is the savior. To be evangelical would then mean to be merely Christian that is, founded upon, motivated by, acting in agreement innovations in the Church of England, the movement's heirs in the modern church are far more diverse and in some respects more inclusive.
In the English church, three terms are generally used to denote the parish philosophy: High Church, Low Church, and Broad Church or Latitudinarian. The High Church is Anglo-Catholic. The Low Church is more protestant, and the latitudinarian church is tolerant/ Platonic.
