At the beginning of its separation from Rome under Henry VIII, Anglicanism rejected practically nothing more that the primacy of the Roman pontiff. Later on, under Edward VI, it submitted to the influence of Lutheranism; still later, under Elizabeth, it yielded yet more influence to Calvinism. Anglicanism retained the hierarchical strata of the episcopacy but turned over supreme spiritual authority to the king.
Anglicanism is made up of three main groups: the High Church, which believes that the episcopacy is of divine origin, holds it in great esteem, and has a horror of being dubbed “Protestant.” To the High Church group belong Puseyites or Ritualists (“Anglo-Catholics”) who both in doctrine and in worship resemble the Catholic Church quite closely. The Low Church leaned heavily in the direction of Calvinism, and is much more concerned with justification by faith alone than with any Episcopal rank. The Broad Church opened its doors widely to rationalism and treats major Christian dogmas as debatable questions. Historically, “broad” tended to be used to describe those of middle of the road ceremonial preferences, which lean towards liberal Protestantism.
The question of validity of Anglican Orders was reopened by Leo XIII, and an adverse decision was handed down in the encyclical Apostolicae Curae. The sole point at issue was the validity of the new formula of ordination introduced by Thomas Cranmer and his associates at the time of Edward VI. It was the pontiff’s contention that Cranmer deliberately changed the meaning of the rite of orders by eliminating from it all reference to sacrifice, which alone gives significance to the Christian priesthood; that in so doing, he gave the rite a new meaning, namely, to make “ministers of the word,” and not Catholic priests; and in consequence, that those who use this rite express externally—whatever their subjective intention or belief—the intention of doing, not “what the Church does,” but what the Reformers were doing in fact, that is ordaining “ministers of the word and sacraments.” The distinction between subjective and objective intention is indeed delicate, but it stresses the Church’s traditional teaching that the “form” or formula of the sacrament approved by the Church must be used to guarantee “the intention of doing what the Church does.”
Decree of Leo XIII (1896)
“Therefore, strictly adhering in this matter to the decrees of Our predecessors in the pontificate, and giving them complete confirmation, and, as it were, renewing them by Our own authority, of Our own motion (motu proprio), and with certain knowledge, We pronounce and declare that ordinations carried out according to the Anglican rite have been and are absolutely null and void.” There can be little doubt that Leo XIII himself intended to decide the question definitively. In a letter to Cardinal Richard of Paris in November 1896, Leo wrote, “It was our purpose to deliver final judgment and to settle completely that most important question of Anglican ordinations… All Catholics should receive our decision with the utmost respect, as being perpetually fixed, ratified and irrevocable”. The definitive nature of the Bull is therefore clear.